Durban - A Durban woman’s selfless act of donating her body to the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine for research went down in history this week.
Morgie Padayachee, who was in her 60s, became the first Indian woman in KwaZulu-Natal and possibly South Africa to donate her body to science, according to Professor Hoosen Vawda, of the school of medicine, and the director of the Body Donor Foundation of South Africa.
Vawda said he had been running the body donation campaign for the past 40 years and had personally met all prospective candidates.
“Based on this, I believe Padayachee is the first Indian female in the country to donate her body,” he said.
Vawda said donated bodies were used to train medical students, paramedics, pathologists, chiropractors and researchers and to help prepare qualified doctors ahead of major surgeries.
Padayachee’s only child, Marlon Sukhnunan, said his mother took this brave decision a few years ago. She died of natural causes late last week.
He described her as a person who loved people and animals and was always uplifting the lives of others.
“She was independent, a modern thinker who taught me to be open minded and to care for others,” Sukhnunan said.
He said his mother had done a lot of research before making the final decision to donate her body. He said it did not come as a surprise to him.
“I am proud to have witnessed such a noble service for the enhancement of medical studies,” he said
“My mother approached life holistically, without following the norms”
He said her act of kindness had brought honour to their family and that her legacy would live on.
“To know what a strong woman she was in life and to understand the strength of her nobility in death, is the greatest legacy any child or family could receive,” said Sukhnunan.
He said initially a few family members had felt that his mother’s request was “unusual” and they requested further insights before accepting it.
“A broader awareness needs to be created around body donations, which is often misunderstood.
“It’s our responsibility to get more involved in supporting these types of programmes. My mum’s noble donation made history and it will see our medical research advance,” he said.
He said she had made direct arrangements with Professor Vawda for the donation.
After her death, the family had notified Vawda.
Padayachee’s funeral service took place on Thursday at the Dravida Hall in Clare Estate. Vawda attended.
“He also assured us that throughout the process my mother would be handled with respect and dignity. And as per her wishes, after two years she will be cremated. We will be notified at that point.”
Vawda described Padayachee’s funeral as “poignant, beautiful and dignified”.
Once the funeral was completed, Padaychee’s body was taken by the undertaker to the medical school.
Vawda said they currently had 40 bodies at the medical school for research.
However, with the high number of students entering the medical field, Vawda said they required more donations to ensure adequate training.
Prospective donors can contact Vawda on 082 291 4546.