In March this year, 24-year-old Vinod Kumar from Sulur, Coimbatore, was one of the 100 Home Guards of Coimbatore District who pledged to donate their organs at an event organised by a private hospital in the city.

Tragically, a few weeks later, he breathed his last. Vinod was working as a marketing executive with a mobile phone provider in Coimbatore. While he was on his way home riding his two-wheeler, on the fateful day, he met with an accident and died on the spot. His family was shattered.

The officers from Home Guards were in a fix. They didn’t know if his family could be approached for donating his eyes. To their sheer surprise, the mother who lost her grown-up son, agreed. When news of his eyes being donated spread, Vinod Kumar became the apple of the Home Guards’ eyes.

“It is possible that after signing the pledge to donate his organs, Vinod would have informed his family members that they should ensure that his organs are donated. This could have ensured that the donation process is completed smoothly,” Professor M. Jaikumar, Company Commander, Tamil Nadu Home Guards, Coimbatore District, says. This, he adds, has helped in ensuring that the eyes of the dead young man were donated.

Awareness, among the family members, of the fact that there is no harm in donating eyes of the dead will result in many more families coming forward to donate the eyes of the deceased. One pair of eyes can help at least four people.

Dr. Edwin Joe, Dean Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH), observes that many young men and women are dying in road accidents. “But, after the compulsory helmet rule, two-wheeler deaths have come down in Coimbatore. At the CMCH, we perform autopsy of nearly 20 bodies on a daily basis. They include men and women who are victims of accidents and suicide,” Dr Joe states.

Statistically, Tamil Nadu tops the list of states with the maximum number of road accidents, especially fatal ones. In 2011, 65,873 road accidents took place and 15,422 people were killed on the roads. The following year, the numbers increased to 67,757, and 16,175 respectively. In 2013, there was a slight dip with 66,238 road accidents and 15,563 fatalities. In 2014, there were 67,250 road accidents, and 15,190 people died. 2015 saw an all-time high of 69,059 road accidents, but the deaths stood at 15,642.

If the families of even half the number of people who die in road accidents come forward to donate the eyes and other vital organs, it will save the lives of so many people who are waiting for organs, including eyes .