April is BeADonor month and Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) is encouraging area residents to consider registering to be an organ and tissue donor.
On average, 1,400 Ontarians are waiting for a lifesaving organ, while thousands more need tissue donations. A single donor can help over 80 people.
Paula Coulter’s husband, Tim, was a donor. After his unexpected death, his donated organs and tissue saved five lives and greatly improved the lives of two more.
“My husband was full of kindness and generosity and had a zest for life,” says Coulter. “He was a giver – any way he could support people he would. During his life we had those conversations about organ donation, and it was something he wanted should the worst happen. When that terrible moment came, there was no doubt in my mind that he would want to donate as many of his organs as possible to give other people a second chance at life.”
Since her tragic loss, Paula has dedicated her time to sharing the importance of organ and tissue donation through her active participation as a Patient and Family Advisor on RVH’s Organ and Tissue Donation Committee.
“Losing your person is the most difficult thing to ever have happen, but knowing he lives on in other people gives me peace and comfort,” says Coulter. “I think he had a purpose. He truly is a hero in our family.”
While most types of organ donation happen after the donor’s death, it is possible to be a living donor.
When Sherrie Logan’s then two-year-old daughter, Ashley’s, liver failed, an organ donation was their only hope.
“Nothing can prepare you for holding your dying child in your arms,” says Logan. “I was nine-months pregnant at the time and couldn’t donate. But my sister, Cheryl, was a perfect match. She donated a piece of her liver. That moment changed our lives”.
As Sherrie explains it, the significance of an organ donation goes beyond the recipient – it creates an extraordinary legacy.
“The gift of an organ produces a ripple effect,” says Logan. “This gift has given Ashley 15 years of life and a whole future ahead of her. It has given our family the gift of loving her and seeing her grow. It has impacted the lives of people who we have touched through our family’s advocacy of organ donation, and it will impact all the people Ashley will meet throughout her life.”
While 35 per cent of Ontarians have already registered their consent to organ and tissue donation, there remains a serious shortage of donors, and sadly, every three days someone dies while waiting for a donation.
“Organ and tissue donations saves and improves the lives of thousands of Ontarians each year,” says Dr. Doug Austgarden, RVH Intensivist and Donation Champion. “As a regional health centre, RVH plays a huge role in spreading the word about the donating and, most importantly, talking to families and supporting them through the donation process.”
Since 2013, RVH families and tissue and organ donors who have consented to donation have saved the lives of 138 recipients and enhanced many more.
RVH’s efforts have been recognized by the Trillium Gift of Life Network with three Hospital Achievement awards, including their first ever Award of Excellence for meeting or exceeding the provincial target for four or more consecutive years. The Award of Excellence was awarded to less than ten eligible hospitals province wide.
Ontario residents can register consent to be an organ and tissue donor with their health card at www.BeADonor.ca