The parents of a 12-year-old boy who passed away earlier this month following a kidney transplant for which he had to wait for a year, organised a cadaveric organ donation pledge on Saturday evening.

About 50 participants of IIM Bangalore Calcutta chapter’s annual meet pledged to donate their organs. The child’s father is an IIM-B alumnus.

Cadaveric organ donations can be done following a road accident or other trauma. When a person in an accident is declared brain dead, the hospital asks the family whether they want to donate organs.

On Saturday evening at Saturday Club, Jyoti Galada, the mother of 12-year-old Umang Galada, shared the family’s struggle to find a kidney for her son.

When Umang, who was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, did not find a donor for a year, Jyoti donated one of hers. But her son suffered a cardiac arrest after the transplant on May 15 and was declared brain dead.

Jyoti and her husband, Ujjawal Galada, then approached the hospital authorities saying they wanted to donate Umang’s organs.

Umang’s liver was harvested and donated to a recipient. His corneas were given to Sankar Nethralaya in Calcutta.

“We have experienced how difficult it is to get a donor. My son, who needed a kidney, was always thinking about how much time he had,” Jyoti said.

She underlined some of the factors that discourage people from donating organs. “People worry whether their faith allows them to donate organs. One will be either burnt or buried. Is it not far better if they can give life and hope to someone living in darkness?” she asked.

“They are also worried that their health may not permit them to donate organs. We are asking people only to pledge to donate. It is the doctors who will take the final call, if the situation arises, on whether the organs can be used for transplant,” she said.

Ujjawal said the director of the Calcutta chapter of the IIM Bangalore alumni association proposed the donation pledge at the annual meet.

“The annual meet was scheduled before my son’s death. After he passed away, the director of the Calcutta chapter, Atanu Ghosh, proposed this idea. We want to raise awareness among people about how their organs can save many lives,” said Ujjawal.

Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (ROTTO) officials were at Saturday’s meet.

“One can pledge to donate an organ through the website of the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO), but the donation cannot happen without the consent of the nearest kin. It is also necessary to inform the nearest kin about the decision, so they agree to donate in case someone is declared brain dead,” said an official.

“We will now take this pledge to all 14 chapters of IIM Bangalore Alumni
Association so people know about organ donation,” said Harish Mittal, the global president of IIM Bangalore Alumni Association.