24-year-old Oshin Goel can run up a flight of stairs today, something that was unimaginable for a young girl like her two years ago. When she was just 18-years-old, Oshin was diagnosed with a hereditary heart disease called Restrictive Cardiomyopathy - a condition where the heart gradually grows bigger and its pumping capacity diminishes. Oshin suddenly found she could not participate in school games like other girls at her age could and as the disease progressed Oshin became bed ridden. Oshin's father Dr R K Goel then registered her for a heart transplant at the Fortis - Escorts institute, but it was a long wait. Finally, about two years back when she was 22, Oshin received the call that would save her life. Today, two years after the heart transplant, Oshin is living her life to the fullest.
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The story of a 15-year-old boy named Hithendra, who lost his life in a motorbike accident, continues to inspire many in Tamil Nadu to become organ donors. As his parents chose to donate Hithendra's heart, kidney, liver, corneas and bone marrow, their action sparked off a movement called 'Hithendra Effect'.
The heart Oshin received was donated by the family of a 55-year-old man after he was declared brain dead. For the surgery, a green corridor was created and the heart was moved from a hospital in Gurgaon to Okhla in just 27 minutes.
Organ donation is when a person allows healthy transplantable organs and tissues to be removed, either after death or when alive, and transplanted into another person. Common transplantations include: kidneys, heart, liver, pancreas, intestines, lungs, bones, bone marrow, skin, and corneas. There are a lot of myths about organ donation. Lets find out the truth.
Have you or someone you know been a beneficiary of organ donation? Share your experience to inspire others to support the cause of organ donation.