In early May, hundreds of members of the Jain community gathered in Harrow were shown a short film depicting the inspiring story of a 7-year-old Deyaan Udani, who became a symbol of humanity by gifting a new lease of life to six people through his untimely passing.
Making history as the youngest organ donor in the state of Maharashtra in India, Deyaan’s dying wish was honoured by his courageous family in their most distressing moments, which spearheaded an international organ donation drive through the spiritual network of Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur headed by Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai.
Within moments of hearing this brave young hero’s poignant tale, over 100 people present in the audience, including community leaders, signed up to the NHS Organ Donation Register.
The public awareness campaign to encourage and promote organ donation was initiated by Jain organisation Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care UK. Over the last few months, the organisation has promoted benefits of organ donation to over 2000 people at a variety of events.
According to the NHS, every day 3 people in the UK die waiting for a replacement organ, and there are currently over 6,500 people waiting for an organ transplant across the UK. Members of the Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities are more likely to need an organ transplant than the rest of the population as they are more susceptible to illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension.
Patients on the transplant waiting list from these communities will endure waiting at least a year longer than a white patient for a suitable match, due to the lack of suitable organs.
The acute shortage of Asian donors on the ODR in the UK is attributed to several reasons; whether unfounded fears about the organ donation process itself, or the large number of the population who subscribe to the myth that they are too old to donate their organs, or simply because it is a subject that is not widely discussed amongst family and friend groups.
This organ donation drive addressed potential concerns and encouraged widespread discussion of the topic.
“We all have a wonderful opportunity to help save lives even after we have passed away, simply by consenting for organ donation and letting our families know of our wish – it is possibly the easiest way to help save lives!” commented Ashwin Mehta, head of Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care UK.
Registering for Organ Donation is simple and takes just a few minutes – visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk or call NHS Donor Help line on 0300 123 2323 to register TODAY!
