By Bhavna Mittal:
Beauty may not be skin deep, but life can sometimes be…
Quote this to a burn victim and you’d realize the turmoil and torture that follows a serious burn injury. Remember the time your friend accidently spilled a hot beverage on your hand and you cursed him under your breath, can you recollect the stinging pain? Well, now multiply the intensity of the pain you experienced 104 times and club it with the feelings of discomfort, helplessness, unbearable stench and hopelessness, then maybe you’ll be able to understand just a little about a person battling life from 3rd degree burns. One can’t also ignore the psychological trauma of enduring a burn injury and the possibility that despite the repeated dressings and painful therapies, chances are that he/she may die of infection.
But why am I telling you all this? Yes, it’s a sad situation but then ‘too bad’ right? You can’t really help, now can you?
Actually you can, you see- just the way you donate blood or pledge your eyes for donation after your demise the same can be done with your skin. For those who don’t know, the skin is the largest organ of your body and like other organs it too can be donated at the event of death.
The skin you donate can be used as a temporary covering for severely burned patients, helping to reduce the pain they endure, the risk of infection and also facilitate healing with minimal scarring.
In simple terms, if you donate skin you’re not only gifting the person a chance to survive but also helping to make the journey towards recovery a little more bearable.
When you die, someone will cry but at the same time it can also bring joy to the life of a stranger. That’s the beauty of a noble cause like this, one’s contribution benefits an unknown, totally unrelated individual.
It’s important that it’s made clear that skin donation isn’t associated with scarring and that only a minimal thickness (shaving) of your skin shall be taken, that too from the back, legs and thighs only; giving someone a new lease on life even half a decade after you’re gone.
In India, nearly 5-7 million cases of burn injuries occur each year, many of these cases results in painful deaths while many patients come to be crippled for life. But there is so much that you can do for those who have a chance. Most people are not aware of the concept of skin donation and sadly it has not been really endorsed by celebrities to give it the due attention the cause deserves. Recently however, Paresh Rawal and his wife, who is associated with the National Burns Institute skin bank, pledged to donate their skin on August 1st which is celebrated as Skin Donation Day.
I request all of you to give this cause its due. Kindly give skin donation ample consideration and pondering over. Do it for the thousands of young girls who become victims of Bridal Burning, the toddlers who come to suffer because of unintentional mishaps, the men, women and children for whom Diwali celebrations turn into a nightmare or for those who are pulled out of burning buildings and vehicles.
Most essentially do it for pure selfish reasons- for the satisfaction of doing good long after you’re gone. Remember skin donation has no upper age limit- so tell your friends, tell your parents and even your Grand parents about this noble cause.
You are the youth of today’s India- if you can fight against the wrongs that pervade our society today; I’m sure you can also fight for this worth cause.
Do your bit. Become a Donor today! Kindly follow this link:Â http://www.skindonation.in/