Indian Transplant Newsletter Vol. 9 Issue NO.: 29 (Feb 2010 - Jun 2010)
Print ISSN 0972 - 1568

Counselling a family for Deceased Organ Donation – our first experience

Indian Transplant Newsletter.
Vol. 9 Issue NO.: 29 (Feb 2010 - Jun 2010)
Print ISSN 0972 - 1568
Print PDF


By Suvitha K and Subha M, Government Stanley Hospital, Chennai

How does one approach a family that is grappling with the loss of a loved one and is grief stricken? How does one deal with the difficulties of requesting for organ donation in the face of such a situation?

 

Looking at 15-year-old Jayabharathi as she lay brain dead in the ICU at Stanley Medical College Hospital, Chennai on 26th December 2009, these were just some of the questions that were running through our minds as we got ready to start our first-ever counselling of a family for organ donation. The doctors had already spoken to Jayabharathi’s parents, R. Veerappan, who was a casual labourer, and Lakshmi, about the fact that their daughter was brain dead.

 

In our first session with them we conveyed to them the irreversible nature of brain death and reiterated the fact that there was “no coming back to life” in this situation. In our second session, we then gently broached the subject of organ donation by asking the family if they had heard of blood donation and eye donation. They were familiar with blood donation and had heard about eye donation but not in detail. We then spoke about the possibility of donating other organs – the family had not heard about this at all. We explained to them that their “papa” (child) could save the lives of five needy people instead of just being buried in the sand. We left the family alone to discuss and make up their mind after making sure that they understood that they were under no compulsion to donate. When we met the family again they said that they would donate her organs because they felt that she would “live on” through her eyes and other organs.

 

The organ retrieval took place on 27th December 2009. The corneas, liver and kidneys were retrieved. We made sure that that the donor’s body was treated with the utmost respect and handed over to the family. Christmas is the season for giving. R. Veerappan and Lakshmi, truly embodied that spirit by giving the “Gift of Life” to five people through their daughter. 

 

For us, those three days that we spent counselling Jayabharathi’s family were the most unforgettable since we joined Stanley Medical College Hospital as Transplant Coordinators on 1st November 2009. What helped us tremendously in this challenging task was the training that we had at MOHAN Foundation as part of the Transplant Coordinators’ Training Programme. We learnt various methods to approach the donor family and the role play activities were very useful. We also had the opportunity to meet some deceased donor families at MOHAN Foundation which gave us a better understanding of the whole organ donation process. 


To cite : Shroff S, Navin S. Counselling a family for Deceased Organ Donation – our first experience. Indian Transplant Newsletter Vol. 9 Issue NO.: 29 (Feb 2010 - Jun 2010).
Available at:
https://www.itnnews.co.in/indian-transplant-newsletter/issue29/COUNSELLING-A-FAMILY-FOR-DECEASED-ORGAN-DONATION-OUR-FIRST-EXPERIENCE-323.htm

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