Jeypore: A single person can save the lives of up to eight others after death. By choosing not to cremate the body, environmental pollution can be reduced, and donated organs can also help in medical research. With this noble intention, a couple from Parabeda Aravind Nagar area in Jeypore—Gauri Prasad Pattnaik and Kavita Pattnaik—have pledged to donate their organs.
They stated, “While we help some people during our lifetime, our bodies can still serve others after death.” Before death, a person can donate organs like kidneys, liver, and skin. After death, organs and tissues such as kidneys, liver, lungs, small intestines, eyes, pancreas, heart, skin, and hands can be donated.
In November 2024, the couple applied for organ donation at Saheed Laxman Nayak Medical College, Koraput. Later, their application was submitted to the State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization in Cuttack. In January 2025, they received a certificate from the organization confirming that their organs would be preserved at the Koraput medical college.
Gauri Prasad, a journalist and medicine distributor by profession, and his wife Kavita, a homemaker, highlighted that cremation typically requires 3.5 quintals of wood, which equals the wood from two trees. Through organ donation, they also aim to spread awareness about environmental conservation by protecting trees.
In recognition of their noble act, the Pratima Ambika Trust has felicitated the couple.