Category Archives: organ donation

Tamil Nadu Leads India in Transplant and Organ Donation Infrastructure

There are many beautiful and amazing things about India, but, alas, infrastructure is not one of India’s strong suits. In order to have a successful deceased donor transplant program throughout India, a strong and well-built infrastructure is of critical importance. … Continue reading

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Transplant in India: Is it All About the Money?

Recently, a spectacular transplant story came out of Chennai, India. A 21 year old woman from Mumbai received a heart transplant from a government hospital in Chennai. The story made national and international press and was a heartwarming triumph of … Continue reading

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Deceased Donor Transplant Programs in India, Part 3: The Way Forward

So the clock is ticking down and I’m almost ready to embark on my great adventure: a year-long sabbatical volunteering for the MOHAN Foundation to help increase deceased donor transplant activity throughout India. No small task, right? So before I … Continue reading

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More Than 13 Planes Crashing Every Year?

In my 2012 TEDx talk on organ donation awareness, I presented the analogy of 13 jumbo jets crashing every year to emphasize the number of people dying on the transplant list while waiting for a donor organ to become available. … Continue reading

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Deceased Donor Transplantation in India, Part 2: Indigenous Rackets and Transplant Tourism

In my last post, I introduced the factors influencing the emergence of deceased donor transplantation in India, a major one being the illicit organ trade. Before I delve in to the story from India, however, let me state that human … Continue reading

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Deceased Donor Organ Transplantation in India, Part 1: An Emerging Trend

I just returned from a one month trip to India where I was privileged to witness an incredible country’s initial foray into establishing a deceased donor organ transplantation system.  India is the world’s largest democracy, has been experiencing remarkable economic … Continue reading

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Hope and Joy Within the Mourning

This story of hope was written by the daughter of one of our liver transplant recipients. Thank you for sharing! Hope always lives with organ donation and transplant. “I have told this story at least 1000 times to anyone who … Continue reading

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Cultural Taboos Surrounding Organ Donation

Taboos are “…vehement prohibition(s) of an action based on the belief that such behavior is either too sacred or too accursed for ordinary individuals to undertake, under threat of supernatural punishment” (Wikipedia). Of the reasons why some people are opposed … Continue reading

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We Love You for Signing Up to Be an Organ Donor

  “We Love You for Signing Up to Be an Organ Donor”! This bLifeNY campaign on FaceBook came about after I attended TEDxFlourCity 2013 a few weeks ago and saw the inspiring story of Ronny Edry. He is an Israeli … Continue reading

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Youth and Organ Donation Awareness: the Kids Get It

There is increasing evidence in the scientific literature that youth and organ donation awareness is a good combination. That is, young people are particularly receptive to learning about organ donation and overwhelmingly have positive attitudes about this challenging subject. A … Continue reading

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