Every year 5,00,000 people in India, including children, die waiting for an organ. All it takes is a small gesture from us, in the form of pledging to donate our organs post death, can certainly bring down the number of such preventable deaths. ‘Gift an Organ’ is an initiative of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), and the Coimbatore Chapter of Young Indians (Yi), in order to inspire more people to pledge to donate their organs.

This initiative came into being in April 2015. In July that year, actor Suriya became the celebrity endorser for the campaign. “We have tied up with Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu (TRANSTAN) and about a dozen hospitals who are our partners in the campaign. They work with us to spread the awareness about donating organs,” Pradeep Krishnaraj, co-chair, Health Initiatives, Yi’s Coimbatore Chapter, says.

Till date, about 3,000 people have pledged to donate their organs. One person can save up to eight lives by donating their heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, eyes, pancreas, intestine, and skin. One of the challenges that the team working on organ donation encounters is the prevalent myths about it. It is through several awareness campaigns that the team of Yi’s Coimbatore chapter reaches out to the various sections of the society and clarifies their doubts about organ donation.

One of the common beliefs among people is that organ and tissue donation will disfigure the bodies. Pradeep explains that organ donation does not disfigure the body. Yet another myth that majority of people have is that the deceased individual’s family will not be informed when the (the individual’s) organs are harvested and transplanted. Pradeep clarifies that the consent of those closest to the donor is sought before organs are donated. “Hence it is very important to discuss your wish to become a donor with your loved ones. Many have expressed that it feels good to know that their loss has given life to someone,” Pradeep says.

More information about organ donation can be obtained at www.giftanorgan.org