Give the Gift of Life
The weather is bad again, and she has again forgotten to bring an umbrella. With the mobile phone battery dead she cannot even call back home to say she would be late. “Mobile phone is switched off,” says a worried Ashish, “why on earth would she switch off the phone? Could something have possibly gone wrong? She is never late beyond 8 pm.” Looking weirdly at her watch, 9:40, Kavya, dashed towards the local train station.
Kavya, a 46 year old software engineer works in an MNC in Mumbai. She has 2 kids, elder, Ashish, 20, is an engineering student and younger, Amit, 18, is in medical college. And life for Kavya is as tough as it can be for a widow living with two children, with her job demanding as much from her as demand her home and 2 fatherless boys so attached to their mom after their father’s departure that they would get worried if she was late even by half an hour. And they would always dine together, just like they used to, with their father in too, till about 3 years back.
It was one similar dark night, raining heavily, when they had been trying to get through to dad and his mobile was constantly giving the switched-off message. Mom and kids were all waiting. The wait at dining table changed to frown of a hungry stomach which turned into anger (which was being planned to be carried on for next two days), and anger turned into worry, worry turned into tears in the mom’s eyes, the tears turned into silent prayers only to end in a loud shriek and incessant cry when the hospital staff on the other end of the phone told Kavya that her husband had met an accident, lost a lot of blood and was admitted in so and so hospital. They rushed to the hospital. Rishi, they were explained at the hospital, was found lying in a pool of blood, when the Mumbai police took notice and reached him to the nearest hospital. He was gravely injured, lost a lot of blood. They suspect he was hit by a fast moving vehicle. His motorbike had been found in bad shape, meters from where he lay unconscious. They did not get a mobile phone near him but in his wallet got an EYE DONATION CARD, where he had entered whom to contact in case of emergency.
He was put in the ICU, was unconscious and was being administered intravenous fluids and plasma expanders, but they told Kavya to get her contacts as they would need some blood donors. Rishi was O +ve, which supposedly is the commonest blood group amongst Indians but for some unfortunate reason the hospital was out of it. Rishi was rapidly losing blood pressure. They suspected he had some internal injuries too leading to further blood loss. The situation was getting unruly. Kavya made some phone calls to her friends and to Rishi’s and despite the heavy pour four people reached the hospital in no time. Their blood groups were tested but none was O +ve. “We are losing him,” said the doctor. Meanwhile, one Kavya’s friends was able to manage one unit of O +ve blood from a nearby hospital but he’d need more they said.
Seeing all this mayhem near the ICU waiting space was another gentleman who came up as a messiah. He was O +ve and agreed to donate one unit. Bliss!! Kavya learnt from the hospital staff that her messiah had lost his father to old age few hours back and was now only waiting to complete the formalities and take the dead body for its last rights. It’s amazing how some people can maintain their nobility in times of pain and melancholy. It’s also amazing how the same pain can be debilitating to one, enabling for another and create indifference in yet others. Even with the best management that hospital could provide for for Rishi, he was not yet stable. “He will have to be observed, as of now nothing can be said.”
Well the long story cut short is Rishi did not survive it. He demised in a few hours, leaving behind a wife and two kids, smart, strong, ready to face the brunt of the world, yet incomplete without him. He died of blood loss and cardiovascular arrest. His supposed last wish of eye donation was fulfilled. In these dark hours of anguish, Amit was deeply touched by the acts of charity and it was even more saddening that he lost his father for the mere reason that there was no one to donate blood. What a pity! Why should anyone die for one unit of blood in a country with the second largest population in the whole world? Why could the hospital not have enough blood units in store? Why? How difficult could it be to just donate one unit of blood every six months or so?
For the last three years Amit, Ashish and Kavya have been going to the hospital in which Rishi took his last breaths. They definitely go on Rishi’s death anniversary- to give the gift of life, to donate a unit of blood. May no other Kavya lose her Rishi for failing to arrange a unit of blood; may no other Amit and Ashish may lost their life-props for one unit of blood. And they donate every six months. “This is the least we can do to remember our dad, who taught us to live a life of humility and generosity, this is for you dad, we love you and we are going to live up to you,” says Amit on Rishi’s third death anniversary. “We also go to schools and colleges to tell people about how important it is to donate blood,” says Kavya, “I try to explain with this example. The rivers flow into lakes and seas, water from where evaporates, turn into clouds. The clouds fly thousands of kilometers, and pour and refill the rivers, which then generously donate that water back to the seas. Let us create this pool of blood by regularly and generously donating into it because this blood is then going to enliven our own families in time of need, just like the clouds enliven the rivers which are drying. Although it is difficult we have been able to motivate people to donate. Some have taken the message to heart and are now helping us in our cause. We are trying to do away with the myths of donation. This is for all those Rishis who have lost and deeply love.”
Misconceptions about Donating Blood
• You will feel drained or tired. Fact: You are not going to be tired if you continue to drink fluids and have a good meal.
• You need to rest after donating blood. Fact: You can resume all normal activities within minutes of donating blood.
• Donating blood will not leave you low of blood. Fact: By donating a unit blood you are still going to have enough surplus blood than you need.
• Donating blood is painful. Fact: There is no pain other than a needle prick which is more like a mosquito bite.
• I am so lean and thin that I don’t have enough blood to donate. Fact: Whether lean or muscular, everyone has about five liters of blood and you can donate blood even if you are lean. You can donate if you are more than 50 kilograms of weight.
• Donating blood may cause AIDS. Fact: Donating blood does not cause AIDS.
• I am too old; I am too young. Fact: You must be at least 17 years old to donate blood supply. There is no upper age limit for blood donation as long as you are well with no restrictions or limitations to your activities.
Facts about blood donation:
• Every 2-second, someone in the country is in need of blood. Every year our nation requires about 4 crore units of blood, out of which only a meager 5 lac units of blood are available.
• Patients are just like donors - most of them have common blood types. Because your blood type is common, the demand for that type is greater than for rare types. So, even if your blood type is common there is still a requirement.
• Blood cannot be harvested or manufactured, it can only be donated.
• You can donate once in every three months. And it takes only about 30-40 minutes.
• You should not smoke at least 12 hours before donating blood.
• If you have been ill lately or are on any kind of medication kindly inform the blood bank and donate blood only if they approve.
• If you donate blood at RIMS, Ranchi, you will get a BLOOD DONOR’S I-CARD against which you can take from there, one unit of blood in time of need. The card remains valid for one year.
• You can register with websites like http://blooddonors.in/ for people to contact you in time of need. You can use the same website to look for possible donors in time of need.
So what are you waiting for? Donate blood today.
Oh and you must be thinking what happened that night when Kavya was late for home. I don’t know. Seriously, I don’t. And who cares? But since all of us Indians like happy endings let me say she reached home safe. She had dinner with her children and listened to the stories of college life which they had been so eagerly waiting to share with her. And next day they all went to donate blood. Happy?
Kavya, a 46 year old software engineer works in an MNC in Mumbai. She has 2 kids, elder, Ashish, 20, is an engineering student and younger, Amit, 18, is in medical college. And life for Kavya is as tough as it can be for a widow living with two children, with her job demanding as much from her as demand her home and 2 fatherless boys so attached to their mom after their father’s departure that they would get worried if she was late even by half an hour. And they would always dine together, just like they used to, with their father in too, till about 3 years back.
It was one similar dark night, raining heavily, when they had been trying to get through to dad and his mobile was constantly giving the switched-off message. Mom and kids were all waiting. The wait at dining table changed to frown of a hungry stomach which turned into anger (which was being planned to be carried on for next two days), and anger turned into worry, worry turned into tears in the mom’s eyes, the tears turned into silent prayers only to end in a loud shriek and incessant cry when the hospital staff on the other end of the phone told Kavya that her husband had met an accident, lost a lot of blood and was admitted in so and so hospital. They rushed to the hospital. Rishi, they were explained at the hospital, was found lying in a pool of blood, when the Mumbai police took notice and reached him to the nearest hospital. He was gravely injured, lost a lot of blood. They suspect he was hit by a fast moving vehicle. His motorbike had been found in bad shape, meters from where he lay unconscious. They did not get a mobile phone near him but in his wallet got an EYE DONATION CARD, where he had entered whom to contact in case of emergency.
He was put in the ICU, was unconscious and was being administered intravenous fluids and plasma expanders, but they told Kavya to get her contacts as they would need some blood donors. Rishi was O +ve, which supposedly is the commonest blood group amongst Indians but for some unfortunate reason the hospital was out of it. Rishi was rapidly losing blood pressure. They suspected he had some internal injuries too leading to further blood loss. The situation was getting unruly. Kavya made some phone calls to her friends and to Rishi’s and despite the heavy pour four people reached the hospital in no time. Their blood groups were tested but none was O +ve. “We are losing him,” said the doctor. Meanwhile, one Kavya’s friends was able to manage one unit of O +ve blood from a nearby hospital but he’d need more they said.
Seeing all this mayhem near the ICU waiting space was another gentleman who came up as a messiah. He was O +ve and agreed to donate one unit. Bliss!! Kavya learnt from the hospital staff that her messiah had lost his father to old age few hours back and was now only waiting to complete the formalities and take the dead body for its last rights. It’s amazing how some people can maintain their nobility in times of pain and melancholy. It’s also amazing how the same pain can be debilitating to one, enabling for another and create indifference in yet others. Even with the best management that hospital could provide for for Rishi, he was not yet stable. “He will have to be observed, as of now nothing can be said.”
Well the long story cut short is Rishi did not survive it. He demised in a few hours, leaving behind a wife and two kids, smart, strong, ready to face the brunt of the world, yet incomplete without him. He died of blood loss and cardiovascular arrest. His supposed last wish of eye donation was fulfilled. In these dark hours of anguish, Amit was deeply touched by the acts of charity and it was even more saddening that he lost his father for the mere reason that there was no one to donate blood. What a pity! Why should anyone die for one unit of blood in a country with the second largest population in the whole world? Why could the hospital not have enough blood units in store? Why? How difficult could it be to just donate one unit of blood every six months or so?
For the last three years Amit, Ashish and Kavya have been going to the hospital in which Rishi took his last breaths. They definitely go on Rishi’s death anniversary- to give the gift of life, to donate a unit of blood. May no other Kavya lose her Rishi for failing to arrange a unit of blood; may no other Amit and Ashish may lost their life-props for one unit of blood. And they donate every six months. “This is the least we can do to remember our dad, who taught us to live a life of humility and generosity, this is for you dad, we love you and we are going to live up to you,” says Amit on Rishi’s third death anniversary. “We also go to schools and colleges to tell people about how important it is to donate blood,” says Kavya, “I try to explain with this example. The rivers flow into lakes and seas, water from where evaporates, turn into clouds. The clouds fly thousands of kilometers, and pour and refill the rivers, which then generously donate that water back to the seas. Let us create this pool of blood by regularly and generously donating into it because this blood is then going to enliven our own families in time of need, just like the clouds enliven the rivers which are drying. Although it is difficult we have been able to motivate people to donate. Some have taken the message to heart and are now helping us in our cause. We are trying to do away with the myths of donation. This is for all those Rishis who have lost and deeply love.”
Misconceptions about Donating Blood
• You will feel drained or tired. Fact: You are not going to be tired if you continue to drink fluids and have a good meal.
• You need to rest after donating blood. Fact: You can resume all normal activities within minutes of donating blood.
• Donating blood will not leave you low of blood. Fact: By donating a unit blood you are still going to have enough surplus blood than you need.
• Donating blood is painful. Fact: There is no pain other than a needle prick which is more like a mosquito bite.
• I am so lean and thin that I don’t have enough blood to donate. Fact: Whether lean or muscular, everyone has about five liters of blood and you can donate blood even if you are lean. You can donate if you are more than 50 kilograms of weight.
• Donating blood may cause AIDS. Fact: Donating blood does not cause AIDS.
• I am too old; I am too young. Fact: You must be at least 17 years old to donate blood supply. There is no upper age limit for blood donation as long as you are well with no restrictions or limitations to your activities.
Facts about blood donation:
• Every 2-second, someone in the country is in need of blood. Every year our nation requires about 4 crore units of blood, out of which only a meager 5 lac units of blood are available.
• Patients are just like donors - most of them have common blood types. Because your blood type is common, the demand for that type is greater than for rare types. So, even if your blood type is common there is still a requirement.
• Blood cannot be harvested or manufactured, it can only be donated.
• You can donate once in every three months. And it takes only about 30-40 minutes.
• You should not smoke at least 12 hours before donating blood.
• If you have been ill lately or are on any kind of medication kindly inform the blood bank and donate blood only if they approve.
• If you donate blood at RIMS, Ranchi, you will get a BLOOD DONOR’S I-CARD against which you can take from there, one unit of blood in time of need. The card remains valid for one year.
• You can register with websites like http://blooddonors.in/ for people to contact you in time of need. You can use the same website to look for possible donors in time of need.
So what are you waiting for? Donate blood today.
Oh and you must be thinking what happened that night when Kavya was late for home. I don’t know. Seriously, I don’t. And who cares? But since all of us Indians like happy endings let me say she reached home safe. She had dinner with her children and listened to the stories of college life which they had been so eagerly waiting to share with her. And next day they all went to donate blood. Happy?
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