As Punjab joined the nation in observing the 80th Independence Day on August 15, the state had another reason to cheer. Just two days earlier, on World Organ Donation Day (August 13), healthcare statistics revealed that the state is making steady progress in organ donation. Cadaveric donations rose to 17 in 2025, while six have already been reported in 2026 so far.The numbers themselves tell the story of change. In 2023, Punjab recorded three cadaveric donations. The figure rose to five in 2024.Of the 17 donations recorded last year, 10 were carried out at Dayanand Medical College & Hospital (DMCH), Ludhiana, which was conferred the prestigious ‘Exemplary Performance in the Field of Cadaveric Organ Donation and Transplants’ award by the National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.The day carries added significance as Punjab was recognised as an ‘Emerging State in Organ Donation and Transplantation for 2025’. This milestone was achieved slowly and steadily, with the support of families who chose to lend a helping hand to others even during their hardest times.Dr Gagneen Kaur Sandhu, Nodal Officer and Joint Director, State Organ & Tissue Transplant Organization (SOTTO) Punjab, said awareness about organ donation was steadily growing. “People are becoming aware about organ donation and the situation has really improved over time. The DMCH has done exemplary work as doctors have been able to convince 10 families and make them understand the importance of organ donation. They are creating a lot of awareness and it has borne fruit,” she said.On World Organ Donation Day this year, Punjab stood third in North India and 10th nationally in online pledging, with 11,840 individuals pledging to donate their bodies.Yet, cultural beliefs continue to shape choices. “After normal death, one can donate eyes or the body for research purposes. Eye donation is popular, but body donation is less accepted due to customs that lay emphasis on ending the body’s journey with this world,” Dr Sandhu explained.She stressed that the most critical form of donation is after a person is declared brain-dead, when vital organs such as the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas and intestines, along with tissues such as corneas, skin, bone and heart valves, can be donated.The impact of such decisions is best understood through real-life stories. For one Ludhiana family, a moment of grief became a beacon of hope for others. Jattvibeita, a 56-year-old patient admitted to the DMCH, was declared brain-dead. Her family took the courageous decision to donate her organs. Her liver was transplanted at the DMCH into a patient battling cirrhosis; both kidneys were shifted to private hospitals through a green corridor, while both corneas were preserved in the corneal bank to restore vision for two individuals.Her son, Nitish Sharma, said, “I had always seen my mother helping others and even after her death, she gave a new lease of life to others.” In that single act, one family’s loss became a lifeline for five families.Dr Gursagar Singh Sahota, Chief Liver Transplant Surgeon at the DMCH, underscoring the magnitude of such choices, said, “One deceased organ donor can potentially help multiple patients. Organ donation is life donation. A cadaver donor can give hope to multiple families. We need to replace myths with facts, fear with awareness and hesitation with compassion.”Echoing this sentiment, Dr PL Gautam, Head of Critical Care and Liver Transplant Anaesthesia at DMCH, called organ donation “the highest expression of compassion in difficult times”. He said, “The families of deceased donors inspire others by bringing change in belief and culture. Their selfless decisions offer a second chance at life to those battling end-stage organ failure.”