MB#36: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙞𝙛𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙎𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩: 𝘼 𝙇𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙈𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙂𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙛.

[MemoirBlogthon #36] : On September 8, 2014, after my mother's passing, I made a phone call to my grieving father to ask for consent for eye donation. His immediate approval led to the donation of sight to two blind individuals. This memoir details the urgent, sensitive procedure performed by the L. V. Prasad Eye Institute and the profound emotional validation received through the "Grateful Acknowledgement" certificate—a document my father proudly shared with all visitors, ensuring her legacy of kindness lived on.

MB#36: A living memorial to my mother.

The Validation: A Grateful Acknowledgment

Within 15 minutes after I provided written consent, a medical crew arrived in a mobile van and began the retrieval process. The moment of deepest comfort and validation came immediately after. The ophthalmologist handed me three documents that transformed a moment of finality into an enduring gesture of compassion.

The Certificate of 'A Grateful Acknowledgement' from LVPEI declared that my beloved Smt. Susarla Sitaratnam had given the:

"precious gift of sight to two blind individuals."

Accompanying the certificate was a personalized letter, which offered profound solace in our time of mourning:

"One cannot think of any greater living memorial of your loved one than the gift of sight, which you have given."

The family was also addressed, with the RIEB Director gratefully acknowledging that,

"Through your caring, our goal to eliminate blindness moves closer to reality."

The Legacy of Kindness

I kept these three documents in sheet protectors and gave them to my father. As relatives visited to offer condolences, my father, in his grief, found a unique source of pride. He would share the letters and the certificate, proudly telling everyone:

"My eldest son made this arrangement and took consent from me and my family members." My father was proudly saying that his wife was noble in her lifetime and kind even after her death with this donation.

This act created an immediate living memorial for my mother. It also reinforced my father's own ethical principle. For the remaining ten months of his life, he was a vocal advocate, urging others to follow suit, providing the contact details from the certificate.

MB#36: Quiz

MB36—Question: What specific act of kindness was performed immediately following the mother's passing on September 8, 2014?

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• A. A donation of clothes.
• B. Eye donation.
• C. Organ donation.
• D. A charitable fund contribution.

MB#36: Quote

"The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it." – William James