India prides itself on its first heart transplant 23 years ago, but the donations numbers over the decades haven't been very encouraging. Only 350 heart transplants have taken place in India so far. Very few Indians pledge their hearts, or even other organs. As of today, India needs 10 lakh more donors to meet its requirement for heart transplants, which have a high success rate of above 85 per cent in the country. Despite the odds, many milestones have been created and many lives have been saved. In this segment, we bring you those stories of hope and success.
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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.