On the day that 7-year-old Deyaan Udani and his sister learnt about organ donation in school, they came home and pushed their parents to pledge their organs, telling them that “instead of becoming ashes they could save lives”, and that they would like to list themselves as donors once they grew up.

A few months later, while on vacation with his family in India, just a week before they were due to fly back to Sydney, Deyaan began to complain about severe headaches. The doctors linked this to multiple blood clots in his brain. Within a week his condition deteriorated and he was declared brain dead.

His parents decided to donate his organs, making him Maharashtra’s youngest donor. Deyaan’s donation ended up saving the lives of 4 people.

A 7-year-old girl from Goregaon with only a few weeks left to live received Deyaan’s heart. Others who got a new lease of live through his organs included an 11-year-old and a 15-year old who received his kidneys, and a 31-year-old who underwent a much-needed liver transplant.

“It was very difficult for them, given the situation,” says Prateek, Deyaan’s uncle, who was a participant at the NDTV Fortis #MoreToGive Walkathon on Organ Donation Day in Gurugram, adding that it was a decision they were proud of and that this is what Deyaan would have wanted.

After donating his organs, Deyaan’s family organised a drive in Mumbai which got 3,000 cadaveric organ donation pledges.