Got nothing, but she gives away her everything

LUCKNOW: Destiny had never been kind to Uma. Born with a mental disability, she was abandoned by her parents on streets to die.
She was sexually exploited by the perverts. However, a policeman took pity and got her admitted to a hospital from where she was sent to an orphanage. But she could not enjoy the ‘comfortable' stay for long. She breathed her last on Monday, but became immortal.
Her eyes were donated to the eye bank and are now enlightening two lives. Her body has been donated to the anatomy department of the CSM Medical University (CSMMU).
Uma's example is a lesson both for the society averse to the idea of organ donation and officials of the disabled welfare department who are sitting on proposals for starting a shelter home for the mentally retarded destitute since long.
"The society needs to learn how even after death one can serve the people, and the disabled welfare department should show sensitivity towards mentally retarded destitute and construct shelter homes for them on priority basis," said a doctor at CSMMU.
"A pair of cornea provides eyesight to two persons. However at present, the rate of donation is very low in UP," he added.
Ten-year-old Uma was found on roadside in Alambagh by a policeman, Rakesh Kumar, on January 2 this year.
He approached every government agency in the city from district administration to municipal corporation and from government shelter homes to non-governmental organisations (NGOs), but none helped.
Finally, Kumar got the girl admitted to the Balrampur Hospital as she was suffering from fever.
Later, the Childline volunteers took up the cause and looked after her at the hospital and gave her the name Uma.
On January 16, she was discharged from the hospital after Nirvan, a home for mentally retarded, agreed to admit her.
"Uma was suffering from acute mental trauma, a condition found in sexually abused children," said S S Dhapola, director, Nirvan.
However, at the shelter home, despite all care, the condition of the girl did not improve. She was taken to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital several times but doctors could not detect that she had tuberculosis.
"Every time doctors gave medicines to control fever till last week when one of the doctors detected that the girl was suffering from tuberculosis, which was at its last stage," said Mahesh.
Uma was rushed to the CSMMU on Sunday for intensive care but it was too late. She died on Monday.
Nirvan, after consulting doctors and completing legal formalities, decided to donate the body of the girl to the anatomy department of the CSMMU, and her eyes to the eye bank at the ophthalmic department.
Ashok Sahai, former head, anatomy department, said, "Very few body and eye donations take place because of the superstitions and myths prevailing in the society. We need to make people aware that donating organs is actually a noble and pious act."
The CSMMU is facing an acute shortage of bodies for academic purpose since 1995. Against the requirement of 45 bodies per year, it is getting on an average five bodies.