LiveOnNY (LONY) recently recognized donor and community heroes from the South Asian community in presence of more than 250 invited guests, city officials and LONY officials.
Organ donor families were specially recognized by LONY. “The highlight of the evening was stories of the donor families, the way tragedy was turned into something so beautiful and giving, and powerful,” said Dunesh Kaur, LONY’s Community and Government Affairs Liaison, to Desi Talk in an exclusive interview.
The community leaders who were honored included Publisher and Chief Editor of The Indian Panorama Inderjit Singh, Democratic Candidate For District 23 of NYC Council Koshy Thomas, Chair of nonprofit American Forum Inc. Indu Jaiswal, External Affairs Administrator of Flushing Swaminarayan Mandir Dr. Vipul Patel, Director of Nursing for Behavioral Health of NYC Health & Hospital and President of the Indian Nurses Association of New York Dr. Shyla Roshin, and Orthopedic Spine Surgeon of Westchester Medical Center Health Network Dr. Harshad Patel.
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The event was jointly organized by Kaur and New York City Department of Correction (NYCD) Desi Society’s Dr. Mariam Singh, and hosted by the Gujarati Samaj of New York at their facility in Fresh Meadows, NY.
A nonprofit organization, LiveOnNY Formerly New York Organ Donor Network, is a federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) for greater New York. It helps with organ and tissue donation decision making and offers emotional and counseling support for the donor families.
Recalling a special moment during the event when a Gujarati couple registered together to become organ donors, Kaur said, “It was beautiful to witness, both of them confident in their decision and recognizing that anyone, at any time, can be in need of a lifesaving transplant.” Kaur said their commitment reflected a deep understanding and compassion. “Moments like these remind us that small steps create meaningful impact,” she said.
LONY had earlier partnered with the Gujarati Samaj on their Health and Wellness Fair and connected with the community and addressed common questions and misconceptions, Kaur informed.
“Through these events, I am able to engage directly with community members, provide accurate information, and help dispel any myths surrounding organ and tissue donation,” Kaur said.
Kaur told Desi Talk that LONY has received tremendous support from the Gujarati community in Long Island and Queens. “Our collaboration with mandirs such as BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Flushing has been especially meaningful, and we are grateful for their attentiveness and engagement around the importance of organ and tissue donation,” Kaur said.
Kaur said she has seen the community progress towards an understanding of the profound difference that the decision to donate organs can make. “We are seeing a meaningful increase in authorized organ donation cases within the South Asian community,” she said.
Kaur particularly referred to two families in Queens and Westchester who made ‘an incredibly difficult and emotional’ decision to donate organs of their loved ones who were declared brain dead.
“As a Family Support Advocate as well, I understand how challenging acceptance can be during such times,” she said. It is important to gently guide families through the process and help them honor their loved one’s legacy through organ and tissue donation, Kaur added.
“I have witnessed firsthand how this one decision can bring a sense of purpose, healing, and strength to grieving families. Their loved one becomes a hero, giving the gift of life and hope to others,” Kaur said.
The event was attended by LiveOnNY Vice President of Community and Public Affairs, Scott Wohl; Vice President and Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Dorie Klissas; and Managers and Liaisons from Community and Public Affairs Department of LiveOnNY. Also present were Dr. Mariam Singh, President Officer Manish Chopra, and Board Members of NYCD Desi Society.
Senator John Liu, Councilmember Sandra Ung, Assemblymen Ed Braunstein, Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar, Civil Court Judge Frances Wang, Anurag Bhargava and Tsewang Gyaltso from the Consulate General of India, NYC Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs’ South Asian Liaison Sookranie Dhanpat, Detective Neil Narayan of NYPD Desi Society, representatives from the Nepalese American Law Enforcement Association, Prof. Indrajit Saluja and Dr. Hari Shukla were among the invited guests. Kaur was presented with a proclamation by Rajkumar.