Peter Mathias: From regular Blood Donor to one time Body Donor
By Dr. Eugene DSouza, Moodubelle
Bellevision Media Network
Shirva, 10 April 2011: One of the noblest qualities of an individual is the feeling of empathy towards those who are in need of something and giving those things to them according to one’s ability and sharing the burden of the fellow human being. The act known as donation is a gift given by physical or legal persons, typically for charitable purposes and/or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including cash, service, new or used goods including clothing, toys, food and vehicles. It also may consist of emergency, relief or humanitarian aid items, development aid support, and can also relate to medical care needs such as blood or organs for transplant.
For Peter Mathais from Shirva, who began donating his blood while serving in a Bank in Mumbai, the act became an article of faith and whenever someone was in need of his rare blood group he was ever ready to help them out. Thus, being convinced that blood donation is one of the noblest of the acts that one individual can do, he gradually realized the fact that he could also donate his body after his death for the benefit of medical science and education.
Peter, born on 25 September 1949 at Shriva as the sixth in the family of ten children, seven sons and three daughters of late Fabian and late Mary late Mathais had his education from primary to high school in St. Mary’s High School, Shirva. While in school, Peter took interest in sports especially cricket and football. Having specialized in wicket keeping, Peter was an integral part of the high school cricket team and had played in interschool tournaments.
After cmpleting his education Peter joined the Syndicate Bank’s Head Office at Manipal where he worked for one year before being transferred to Mumbai where he served the bank at different branches such as Mandvi, Crawford Market, Zonal office at Cuffparade and last at Chembur from where he retired.
While working in Mumbai, Peter acquired a flat at Mulund in Mumbai and continued his interest in sports and used to play volleyball with society members.
Peter narrated the circumstances that led him to donate blood for the first time in the Bombay Hospital and how he gradually progressed into a regular blood donor. Peter said that the first time he donated blood when his wife, Mariette was to be operated for apses. As he possessed rare blood group A-ve, Bombay hospital would request Peter whenever it had a patient to be operated with his rare blood group. Whenever the hospital conducted major heart operations of patients with A-ve blood group, the hospital used to request Peter to donate his blood. Hence, Peter became a regular blood donor in the Bombay Hospital. He says that he has donated blood on more than 60 occasions in the Bombay Hospital.
Realizing the importance of blood donation, Peter went on donating blood for noble causes. Peter says that once he donated 45 cc blood for a 15 days old under grown baby boy. Now the boy is around 25 years old and still the family gratefully remembers Peter who had helped the 15 days old baby boy by donating his blood.
During the riots that took place following the demolition of the Babri masjid in December 1992, Peter along with many other voluntary donors lined up to donate blood in the Bombay Hospital to treat the riot affected victims. Peter has had strange experience of donating blood. He says that whenever he donated blood for rich patients, they hardly showed any appreciation, where as whenever he donated blood for poor patients, they made it a point to remember his magnanimity and express their gratitude.
Peter married Mariette Rego from Siddhakatte in 1974. Mariette was also working in the Syndicate Bank in Mumbai. They have three children: Vijay, who is presently working as a manager in the American Bank in Saudi Arabia; Vinay, architect in Mumbai; and Wilma, serving as vice president in a fianance company in Mumbai.
After working for thirty years in the Syndicate Bank in Mumbai, Peter took voluntary retirement in 2001. Presently, he shuttles between Shirva and Mumbai as he has residences at both places. However, he spends major portion o f the year in Shirva looking after the ancestral property.
Peter has had an interest in social service and he decided to spend his retired life in the service of the community in Shirva. First of all in 2002, he took up the issue of the reorganization of his original ward ‘Kolbet’ as with 56 families it was too large to manage effectively. On his initiative, Fr. Valerian Pinto, the then parish priest of Shirva undertook the task of reorganizing all wards of the entire parish which resulted in the creation of 38 wards. Even the Kolbet ward was divided and Peter was elected as the first Gurkar of the newly reorganized ‘Jeevan Asha’ Ward.
In 2005, peter became a member of the Shirva Unit of the Catholic Sabha. He was treasurer for three years at Shirva Unit of the Catholic Sabha and also at the Varado level for one year. Thereafter he became secretary at the Varado level and presently he has been elected as the president of the Shirva Unit of the Catholic Sabha.
Deciding to get himself involved in active social service, Peter enrolled himself as a member of the Lions Club of Shirva in 2010. He has been regular not only in attending the periodic meetings of the Lions Club of Shirva but also participates actively in various welfare projects undertaken by the Lions Club.
Peter narrated a very interesting problem that he tried to solve with the help of Julian Rodrigues, also from Shirva, that of eradicating the menace of the monkeys in his area who had been damaging coconut and vegetable crops till 2004. Along with Julian Rodrigues, Peter went to a hilly region in Kaup to study about the way the monkeys were being caught. With this experience they guided a carpenter to prepare traps which they successfully used to trap the monkeys that used to invade their coconut and vegetable farms and release the captured monkeys at faraway places such as Hebri or Manipal. Peter says that since 2004 there has been no monkey menace in his area and people in general are quite happy that their produce is being spared from the monkeys and their profit has gone up.
Peter has been active in social issues and has been had participating in various agitations and protest such as the case of Gregory Patrao and against Somashekhara Commission Report on Church attacks.
Being a regular blood donor for many years, Peter has been thinking of a greater donation, that of his body after his death, whenever it comes, for medical study in Kasturba Medical College, Manipal. Peter says that after retirement, he began to think seriously about donating his body. Having made up his mind, Peter contacted KMC, Manipal to find out the formalities involved in pledging such a donation. KMC sent to Peter a blank form which he was required to fill in. It is a form of agreement or will for donation of one’s own body after death to Kasturba Medical College, Manipal to be filled in and signed by him as well as by four witnesses, two from the family and two outsiders. Peter after duly filling in the form and obtaining the signatures of the witnesses signed the form on 27 April 2010.
Following the submission of the duly filled form to the KMC, Manipal, the head of the Anatomy Department of KMC, has sent a letter of appreciation to Peter. In this letter of acknowledgement, Dr. Antony Sylvan D’Souza, Professor and Head of the Department of Anatomy in KMC, Manipal says that “…Your noble thoughts come from your commitment and conviction that you could be useful and productive even after death. I am deeply touched and moved by your very kind gesture…”
When asked about the reaction of his family towards his decision to donate his body for medical purpose after his death, Peter said that his children have been supportive of his decision as they have been aware of his attitude towards social causes and his service to society by regularly donating blood for many years. However, Peter says that his wife, Mariette has some reservations about his decision due to sentiments.
Regarding the religious aspects of such a decision of donating the body to medical science, Peter says that he has clarified from a closely known priest who said that after the death all normal religious services will be followed and instead of burying the body, it will be handed over to the hospital authorities who will be informed accordingly. The hospital will make all the arrangements to take the body from the residence after the religious service.
Peter says that his decision to donate his body for medical science is appropriate one as he feels that after the death the body can be utilized for advancing medical knowledge rather than being just buried. It is said that only five medical students can have practical study with the help of one cadaver body. However, at present around 15 students use the same cadaver for their studies. According to reports medical colleges are short of cadavers for their medical studies. Under these circumstances, Peter says that it would be better if people volunteer to donate their bodies after their death. He also emphasizes the fact that many parts of the body such as kidney, eye cornea, skin, etc. can be utilized which would help the needy people who depend on such donations.
For his noble thought and pledging his body for medical education after his death, Peter has been appreciated by many social service organizations and individuals. He was honoured by the Lions Club of Shirva and felicitated for this noble deed by the Lions District Governor, K. Jayakar Shetty when he had visited Shirva Lions Club recently.
At the age of 62, Peter Mathais is quite active, healthy and full of life. He is health conscious and goes for regular walk waking up every day at 4.30 am. Thereafter he attends daily mass and following breakfast he works in the coconut grove watering the trees and doing other work. He also spends considerable time in social service such as helping people to get health cards from KMC through the Catholic Sabha and any other social work.
What a noble cause!! I am very much touched by reading your article. Wish many more people think like u. All the best for good life health.
Thanks for your wishes and greetings. You are great and I am grateful. With Best wishes,
Peter Mathias