Memorial Service for the Organ Donors of Chennai 

At an emotionally very moving function on the 30^th October, 1999 twenty one-organ donor families were honoured by Multi Organ Harvesting Aid Network (MOHAN) Foundation at a function in the premises of Loyola College in Chennai.

There were sixty family member of organ donor family from Tamil Nadu with a special guest from the USA in a packed hall with over 400 people. By being willing donate the organs of their loved ones, these extraordinary souls gave a renewed lease of life to over one hundred people with heart, kidney, liver or lung failures. Most of them also donated their eyes to give a boost to the eye donation programme in the country. In most difficult emotional situation when their loved ones were brain dead and were on artificial support machines in the Intensive Care Unit, they overcame that initial; shock and kept their mental balance to help fellow human beings by being willing to donate the organs of their loved ones. This act of organ donation is an example of absolute selflessness and makes such an act almost holy.

At the ceremony,“Life... Pass it on” certificate was given out to the donor family members by Mr. M. A. Abraham, Chairman & Managing Director of ABAN Group of Industries. Mrs. Sheela Priya, IAS, spoke eloquently of the benevolent act of the donor families. Later during the function sapling planting was undertaken in the organ donors. Most of the members of the public and the donor families broke down during the function when they heard the reminiscences of the organ donor family members. Among the members of the donor families who spoke included Suchitra Sudhakar, an eighteen year old who with her thirteen year old brother Varun took the decision to donate the organs of their mother. They had already lost their father in an earlier accident in London. The story of sixty-seven year old, great humanitarian and librarian Loretta Andrews from USA was told by her son John Andrews, who had specially flown from America to attend the function. Loretta Andrews had carried a “Donor Card” and had desired organ donation in case of anything- untoward happening to her. She was knocked down fatally by a public transport bus and was declared brain dead at a local hospital in Chennai. Her wish of organ donation was carried out. This story of the youngest organ donor in the country, two and half year old Baby Moses, was told by his guardian Mr. Vidyakar of Udavum Karangal.

Dr. Sunil Shroff, Managing Trustee of MOHAN Foundation, speaking at the function said that the surgery of transplantation is no ordinary surgery. At the backdrop of every such surgery is the story of either supreme sacrifice or very grave tragedy. However in the past in our country this holy act of organ donation fell into disrepute due to the commercial dealing in organs especially kidney. However all this was streamlined in 1994 after passing of Transplantation of Human Organs Act and commercial dealings in organs were made illegal and brain death was reorganised. Hence it is now possible to undertake organ transplantation of any organ. However due to lack of awareness among doctors and the public only 300 cadaver organ transplantations have been done in our country. By an act of organ donation one person can give renewed lease of life to almost nine different people suffering from organ failure. These include a pair of eyes, a pair of kidneys, heart, liver and pancreas.

THEY LIVE ON..

 Eighteen organ donor families came from far and near to share the memories that they had of their loved ones. We salute these unsung heroes and their families.

Mrs. LORETTA ANDREWS

“I think organ donation is a wonderful human gift that one human being can pass on to another human being and like my mother, regardless of race,  colour, station in life, one can always decide to donate.” – John Andrews

On October 28^th, 1998, Loretta Andrews from the U.S.A was visiting Chennai. She was a librarian at Semester at Sea, a floating university. On that day a PTC bus fatally injured her. But she had always recognized the inevitability of death and had, long ago, decided to be an organ donor. She carried a “Donor Card” and she had also expressed her willingness to donate by marking “YES” on the or organ donation clause in her U.S driving license

Her son, John Andrews, carried out his mother’s wishes when Mr. Andrews heard about the service that was to be held in memory of his mother and organ donors of Chennai he said that he would be glad to be part of it. Ha and his wife, Nancy, flew in all the way from the U.S.A to be there and share his memories of his mother. he also very generously made a contribution of $500 to MOHAN Foundation to help it to continue with its on organ donation awareness.

Mrs. USHA SUDHAKAR

On October 2^nd 1998, on a trip to Pondicherry, the van in which Mrs. Usha Sudhakar was travelling had a head-on collision with a bus on the East Coast Road in Chennai

For her children, Suchitra and Varun Sudhakar, the world came to an end since they had already lost their father in an accident in 1990, 18 year old Suchitra and 13 year old Varun took the hardest decision of their lives as the sun went down on their mother in the ICU, to donate her organs and save the lives of others who would otherwise have no hope of living at all.

Suchitra shared her memories of her mother at the ceremony and moved many a person in the audience to tears...

“She held my hand when I took my first step. She picked me up when I fell down and hurt my knee. She scared away the demons and rocked me back to sleep when I’d had a nightmare. This super body is none other than my mother-Usha Sudhakar.

Having lost my father at the age of nine, my mother, brother and myself had grown extremely close. My mother herself perfectly to the role of “man of house and breadwinner” and moved on. I didn’t mean that we lead a comfortable life and lacked nothing. Playing the dual role of both mother and father ensured that we never felt the need for anything.

And then tragedy decided to pay our happy home a visit; a visit that would remain branded in our memories with indelible ink.

Anger made my heart and my head scream that a grave injustice had been done. The hands of death had snatched away the wrong person. My mother didn’t have to die. She shouldn’t be the one to die because it was people like her who made the world a better place to live in. Someone up there had a terrible mistake. But then wisdom took over. My mother had not died. She had just transcended human boundaries. She had transcended human borders. She had moved from darkness to light.

She taught me what it was to be a human being. She had always believed in the giving of herself. And what better way to keep her alive than  donating her organs to those in need.

Having now donated her organs it makes me feel that she is still out there, somewhere, watching over us and guiding as like she always did. Having given so many lives a second chance; she will now live on forever.”

Mr. T. V. RAGHAVAN

“The life is short, the vanities of the world are transient, but they alone live who live for others, the rest are more dead than alive.”

-          Swami Vivekananda

From the will of Mr. T. V. Raghavan (67) 

Mr. T. V. Raghavan’s daughter, Shanthi, quoted this saying of swami Vivekananda from her father’s will and it truly encapsulates the meaning of organ donation. Mr. Raghavan was a man who believed in helping others and he wanted to continue to do so even after his death. He was so clear in his conviction that he made a will in which he stated that in the event of his death or entering into a prolonged coma his eyes, kidneys, heart and other body parts be donated to “deserving poor patients in any medical institution.” His wife, Mrs. Hamsa Raghavan, his daughters and sons-in-law carried out his wishes in the face of great hardship – the extraordinary family of an extraordinary man.

Mr. STEPHEN SAMUEL

Stephen was a 22 year old who was very interested in motor racing; in fact, he was on the Centigo Motor racing team. His mother, Mrs. Sheila Samuel, said that it had been his ambition to win the Malaysian Grand Prix but that was not to be. A road accident snuffed his young life out. But he emerged a winner in his race of life through organ donation.

Mr. SEETHARAMAN

Mr. Seetharaman, 65 years, was looking forward to a quiet retired life in his hometown, Chennai, after working for 27 years in Nagpur. Sadly, fate had other ideas. However, as his daughter, Gomathi said, he was a man who had believed in organ donation and giving other people a new lease of life. And his family honoured his wish by consenting to donate his organs.

Mr. RAJA

Mr. Raja, 34 years, worked extremely hard as a press operator in a garage. He had dreams and plans for the future just like all of us but a road accident put an end to it. His family had heard of eye donation but not of organ donation. The doctors in the hospital explained the concept of brain death very clearly to the family and they decided to give someone the precious gift of life, his brother Mr. Kumar said.

Mrs. HEMA SUNDARAJAN

Hema Sundarajan was a winner all the way. She was a university rank holder in college, she was named Best Employee in the State Bank of India where she worked for 12 years, and she was a loving wife and mother.

On September 24, 1995 she passed away in a road accident but her husband Mr. Sundarajan, even in the midst of his deep grief decided to donate her organs and make her death as meaningful as her life had been.

Transplant history was created in India when her heart was transplanted, becoming the first heart transplant to be done here.

BABY MOSES VIDYAKAR

The youngest organ donor in Chennai was from an NGO, “Udavum Karangal”(Helping Hands)-the hands that have helped so many abandoned children. It was the home of Baby Moses who was a little more than two years old when he died. Mr.Vidyakar, the founder of Udavum Karangal, took a very courageous and difficult decision that night because as an NGO accusing fingers could be pointed at them. After checking out the various legal angles, he decided he would brave any criticism because there were lives at stake. He decided to donate the organs of this child to put a spark of life in somebody else’s life.

Master SUSARAJ

Susaraj was a lively 8-year-old who loved playing games with his friends and family. His young life was cut short when a vehicle knocked him down as he was walking on the road. To lose one’s child is the hardest blow that fate can deal a parent but Mr. Donbosco, decided to pass on the gift of life to someone else through his son.

Mrs. RAJESWARI RAJAGOPALAN

A marriage is a happy occasion and Mrs. Rajeswari Rajagopalan had come down from Dubai to attend a wedding in the family. Unfortunately, one day, she fell down from a bike that she was travelling on and sustained a head injury. When her husband was told that she was brain dead, he decided that he would look beyond death to help someone live. A sentiment that was echoed by their 9-year-old son a child was wise beyond his years. 

Mrs. JAYALAKSHMI

October 28^th was the death anniversary of Mrs. Jayalakshmi. It was extremely touching that her family chose to be part of the memorial service on such a day. Mr. Srinivasan, her son, shared his memories of his mother and spoke about the renewed lease of life that organ donation made possible for so many people.

Mr. NIRMAL GANESH

A life snuffed out at the age of 22 by a road accident. Mr. Gnana Mani, his father, said that the family decided to donate Nirmal Ganesh’s organs so that something positive could come out of this senseless tragedy.

Mrs. RAJALAKSHMI

She was helpful, kind and worked hard to support her family. When she died, her children, Mr. Balasubramaniam and Mrs. Vijayalakshmi, agreed to organ donation because they felt that it would have something she would have done.

Mrs. MAHALAKSHMI

An accident put an end to her life. Her husband, Mr. Sivaprakasam, felt that if it was possible to help other people in need one should and decided to donate her organs.

The courageous families of the following organ donors also honoured us with their presence:

Mr. ARJUN                                              Mrs. MANJULA DEVI

Mr. RAMADOSS                                     Ms. DEVI

The families of the following organ donors could not be with us on that day but they will always be in our hearts:

Ms. ALLAHADINI RAJU                                              Ms. SWATI CHAKRABORTHY

Mr. THEBOLA JOSEPHINA AUGUSTINE                  Mr. RAGUNATH