GEORGE TOWN: Fifty-year-old A. Tiruna Garasu had a change of heart on organ donation after his 20-year-old son agreed to donate his organs before he passed away in a tragic accident last year.
Tiruna was initially reluctant to allow the doctors to take his son, Kiran Arasu's organs, but he eventually agreed to honour his son’s last wish.
Tiruna then personally visited the Transplant Resource Centre at the Penang Hospital to ask after the patients who might have received his son's organs.
This was when he, along with his wife, made the life-changing decision to become organ donors.
"The doctors told me that my son’s organs would help give many, including children, pregnant women or even accident victims, a second chance in life. Today, my son is still alive in these people through his organs.
“His decision opened my eyes, and today my wife and I are both organ donors,” said Tiruna when met during the Fun Walk held in conjunction with the state-level Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week, at Lebuh Pantai here on Sunday.
Tiruna, who was invited to speak on the reason behind his decision to become an organ donor, hoped that his story would motivate others to sign up as organ donors as well.
"There is a lack of awareness and I hope more will sign up. It is a precious gift that we can give to others when we are no longer in this world," he added.
Meanwhile, the latest statistics from the National Transplant Resource Centre shows that although the number of Malaysians who are pledged organ donors is high, the actual number of organ donations have plunged over the last three years.
In 2015, there were 71 organ donations made nationwide, but this decreased to 39 in 2016. A mere 17 organ donations have been made so far this year.
Penang's Transplant Resource Centre chairman Datuk Dr Zahari Noor said that one of the main stumbling blocks to organ donation in the country is families not being aware that their deceased loved ones are pledged donors, and would therefore forbid doctors from carrying out organ removal.
“Most of the time, family members (are not aware of the arrangement), so the funeral is conducted as usual.
“Moreover, in Malaysia, family members of the deceased still have a say over whether their organs can be donated or not.
“Hence, the reason why there is a huge gap between pledgers and actual organ donors,”
Dr Zahari told newsmen after attending the Fun Walk earlier on Sunday morning.
According to the statistics, until July 31 this year, 393,221 people nationwide have pledged to donate their organs upon their deaths.
From 1997 to August 31, 2016, people aged between 21 and 30 years old made up the highest number of registered organ donors (154,031), followed by those aged 31 to 40 years old (85,532).
In Penang, 42,270 people are pledged organ donors as of Aug 31 last year.