20^th September, 2001 – a 40-year-old woman who had been tragically involved in a road traffic accident was declared brain dead, but her courageous and generous family consented to donating her organs to help others live a new life. The organ retrieval was carried out at Apollo Specialty Hospital, Chennai. The kidneys were utilized by Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, the heart and lungs by Madras Medical Mission and the liver was flown all the way to Delhi where it was utilized by Apollo Hospitals, Delhi. The eyes were donated Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai.

The heart and lungs were successfully transplanted into a 31-year-old male who had been waiting in the Madras Medical Mission guest house for a transplant. The kidneys and liver were also successfully transplanted. All this was possible, especially the transportation of the liver to Delhi from Chennai, due to the co-ordination and the spirit of sharing between the various hospitals. The underlying principle is that the selfless act of organ donation by a donor and his/her family should not be in vain.

As part of their endeavor to create awareness about organ donation and garner public support and encouragement for transplantation activities, Madras Medical Mission and Chennai Transplant Centre organized Organ Donation Awareness Day on September 23^rd, 2001. Donor families and recipients participated actively in an interactive session with doctors, paramedical staff and members of the community organized on that day. To date, the Madras Medical Mission has performed 8 heart transplant and 2 heart and lung transplants. Chennai Transplant Centre which began functioning in April 2001 performs liver, kidney and pancreas transplants. The highlight of the day was the felicitation of the first heart transplant patient Maimoon Beevi, who was operated in 1995 and is still doing well, 6 years post-transplant.