Gone too soon, but she will always live on in our hearts. Affable, affectionate, kind, compassionate, caring, words are not enough to describe the amazing person that was “Bhakti”.
This is a story of a happy-go-lucky girl who lived her life to the fullest. She touched so many hearts, always caring about others more than herself. She was the go-to person for any problem. She was the one you could speak your heart out to. And we were our happiest selves when around her. But then suddenly, we lost her. A simple gallbladder removal surgery took her life.
Yes, you read it right. It was supposed to be a routine gallbladder removal surgery. Little did we know then we would never meet her ever again. We would never see her smiling, laughing, dancing, and enjoying with us again.
What exactly happened? During the pre-operative procedure for gallbladder surgery, she went into cardiorespiratory arrest. While the doctors tried to revive her, her brain stopped receiving oxygen and had to be put on ventilator support. For the next 15 days, we tried everything to save her life. But no amount of prayers or treatment worked.
As Bhakti had pledged her organs, the family decided to donate them, which could give new life to as many as 6 people. But to our dismay, it didn’t happen, owing to ambiguous laws and a lack of awareness among the doctors.
Do you know that every year 0.5 million people in India die waiting for organ donors? India’s Statistical Data as of 2015 indicates that in response to the demand for 1.75 lakhs of kidney transplants, only 5000 transplants were completed. Out of 50,000 people diagnosed with terminal liver disease, only 1000 got transplants. These statistics are even more distressing in the case of organs like hearts and lungs. Today, only 0.01% of the population of India has pledged their organs in comparison to 36.5% in Croatia and 35.3% in Spain. This is the case despite many NGOs working to promote organ donation in India. It’s important to note that one donor can give new life to as many as 8 people who are suffering from end-stage organ failures.
What happened in the case of Bhakti’s organ donation has given birth to “Bhakti Cares Foundation” – a Section 8 Not-for-profit Company, with the sole objective to work in unexplored areas of healthcare so that we can save more lives. Bhakti Cares Foundation has undertaken its first project- “Project Organs for Life” where we want to work towards strengthening four pillars of Organ Transplant i. e. Law, Infrastructure, Awareness, and Collaboration. At Bhakti Cares Foundation, our mission is clear – Making organ donation a national movement!
So come, join us in this mission to save as many lives as possible as every life matters!