Tharun Anand, 13

School: Victoria School

Topic: Do donor families find hope in organ donation?

Award: Distinction, Junior Category, 2022

“After I die if I am buried I will rot. If I am burnt, I will become ash but if my body is donated, I will live to give life and happiness to many. Live life after death - pledge to donate your body.” This quote showcases Amit Abraham’s view on organ donation. Organ donation may be seen as a way of giving someone a new life or may be seen as not teaching a life lesson to take care of your body. However, I think that donor families can find hope in organ donation.

For starters, organ donation is an opportunity to help others. It gives people who made wrong decisions in life a chance to redeem themselves by giving them a second chance. For example, if someone was needing an organ transplant, through no fault of their own, then they should be able to get the life that they deserve. Moreover, if the organ donor was dead, then it would help the donor’s family to get over it a bit better as they know that at least someone else’s life is getting saved. 1 organ donor could save around 8 lives, so this would also be captivating for potential donors. Therefore, organ donors should take this as an opportunity to help someone in need.

Secondly, they would be able to live and see the difference they have made in a family’s life. The jubilation once a person is given a second chance is amazing to see. If someone was suffering from the final stages of kidney failure, and if he had gotten an organ donor suitable for him after a long wait on the waiting list, he would be ecstatic. Moreover, families of donors who donate their heart should also be allowed to listen to their heartbeat, and they must be feeling a mix of emotions, mainly tears of joy. Therefore, organ donors would be able to feel the difference that they have made in another family’s life.

Last but not the least, the entire process of organ donation is free and sometimes, they may even reward you for donating your organ. This is to help to encourage more people to become donors not only to get the rewards, but to also help a family in need of an organ urgently. For example, people who like to give back to society would be interested in this programme. The free cost for donating organs delivers the important message that your financial status does not matter during organ donation - it is the thought of donating and the will to help a family in need that counts.

In short, these are the reasons why I think that donor families can find hope in organ donation. If they donate organs, they would be able to help a family in need by giving them a second chance, by making them feel the joy of living the normal life again and best of all, the organ donation process is free, so they do not have to worry about money when donating organs. I believe that we should all make a vow so that when we all grow up, we would be able to give back to society by donating our organs to the needy.

Disclaimer: Please note that the views and opinions expressed in the essays for the Live On Festival 2022 are those of the participants and are not endorsed by the National Organ Transplant Unit (Ministry of Health). To learn more about organ donation and organ transplantation in Singapore, please visit www.liveon.gov.sg