“Do you want to feed maggots with your bodies?” asked Samagna, an 18-year-old medico, when her family members questioned her enthusiasm for organ donation.
When she set out to motivate her parents and kin towards the lofty end, little did she know that she would be the first donor in her family.
“She suddenly complained of headache, and we took her to the hospital. Later, doctors declared her brain-dead. Recalling what she would often say about medical ethics, we decided to donate her organs,” said Samagna's mother Uma Maheshwar at an event organised to felicitate ‘Kidney Ambassadors' and ‘Legendary Women' here on Saturday.
Samagna's kidneys, liver, heart, heart valves and eyes have illuminated more years for seven patients who were in dire need of organ transplantation.
The felicitation was organised by Bandakavi Subba Rao, an NMDC employee who himself had been recipient of a kidney 10 years ago, in association with MOHAN Foundation.
“After being diagnosed with kidney failure, life appeared bleak to me. I even thought of touching a live wire and ending my life instead of being a burden on my family. I imagined my children on street. But after four years of waiting on dialysis, thanks to the doctors and the donors, I am alive. My son is now an IIM graduate and my daughter, an engineer,” related Mr. Rao explaining the motive behind the felicitation.
Nephrologist K.S. Naik, expert in Kidney Transplantation Sarveshwar Sahariya, country director of Mohan Foundation Lalitha Raghuram, founder of the Welfare Association for Kidney Patients I. Mamatha, and ‘Mahila Vijayam' magazine editor V. Kasiratnam were among those felicitated by him on the occasion.
Sagarika Nanda, the president of Mineral Eves Club along with her husband and NMDC Chairman-Managing Director N.K. Nanda was the chief guest.
