“To the world you may be one person; but to one person you may be the whole world.” -Dr. Seuss-

The World Organ Donation Day is observed to be celebrated on the 13th of August every year and the purpose of this day is to raise public awareness about the organ donation process.

Among the organs that can be usually donated are the kidneys, heart, pancreas, lungs, liver and eyes. Organ donation is basically conducted according to two methods. Live donations are those that can be done while the donor is still alive. After the donation, the donor can still continue to live with either the left-over organ, like a single kidney or with regenerating organs, like a liver. The second type of donation is known as cadaver donation in which the donor’s healthy organs are transplanted after they have passed away (either from brain death or a cardiac arrest that cannot be resuscitated). The act of implanting organs from one person to another through surgery is referred to as an organ transplant.

The health of the donor is also of paramount importance; volunteers should not be suffering from heart or lung conditions, H.I.V., Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), cancer that has spread within the past 12 months, or any other chronic illness. However, the donors are not thought to be in perfect health. An individual can sign up once they reach the age of 21 according to Sri Lanka’s legal background and in addition, those who are above the age of 18 can sign up to provide their consent for organ donation if they succumb to brain death.

Age is never a boundary for organ donation unless the respective state carries out certain legal restrictions. The health of the donors is also of utmost importance, so the medical teams are required to ensure their wellbeing as well. Organ donors are subjected to more tests to determine whether they are officially dead than non-donors. As most of the major religions around the world support organ donation and the signs of the donation will never be visible on corpses, open casket funerals are permitted.

However, in order to undergo a safe organ donation, the donor should register themselves with verified institutions and organizations. In Sri Lanka, there are several verified organizations carrying out these activities. Information about the organ donation registration process is available from The Organ Donation and Transplantation Foundation – Sri Lanka. (https://www.findbusiness.me/organ-donation-and-transplantation-foundation-sri-lanka-12739937)

Let’s enroll ourselves and be a part of this life-changing and life-giving deed!