NEWS RELEASE
TRILLIUM GIFT OF LIFE NETWORK
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Today, in Ontario, there are almost 1,600 people waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant and every three days someone will die because they did not get their transplant in time.
April is Be A Donor Month in Ontario, and Trillium Gift of Life Network, Ontario’s organ and tissue donation and transplant agency, is encouraging Ontarians to show their support by registering as organ and tissue donors.
In Orillia, a flag will be raised in front of the Opera House to mark the month; the flag raising is slated for April 12.
In addition, local double lung transplant survivor Deanna Peacock and her friend Margot Crowder Davidson are urging people to participate in National Green Shirt Day - April 7. The event is in honour of Logan Broulet, a victim of the Humboldt bus tragedy who donated his organs upon his death.
This #BeADonor Month, you can make a difference for the almost 1,600 Ontarians on the waitlist. Here's how: Register to be an organ and tissue donor at https://t.co/zbQiaLn1aL #OntarioHealth pic.twitter.com/4JrEem8vES
— Trillium Gift of Life Network - now Ontario Health (@TrilliumGift) April 1, 2021
“This April, we asking you to register at www.BeADonor.ca and talk to your family about your decision,” says Versha Prakash, Interim President and CEO, Trillium Gift of Life Network.
“Everyone these days is spending more and more time online. In just a few clicks on BeADonor.ca, you can register your consent to donate and give hope to those in your community who are waiting.”
While over 90 per cent of Ontarians support organ donation, only 35 per cent have formally registered their consent for organ and tissue donation.
While some people believe that their age or medical condition prevents them from donating, in actuality, neither age nor health precludes someone from becoming a donor. Every potential donor is assessed at the time of death for medical suitability.
One donor can save up to eight lives through organ donation and enhance the lives of up to 75 more through the gift of tissue. By registering consent to donate, you make your family aware of your decision to save lives.
In the 2020 calendar year, 314 deceased organ donors gave the gift of life, 1,135 organ transplants were performed in Ontario, and 1,709 tissue donors enhanced the lives of thousands.
“This generous gift of life allows someone else to live, to experience a second chance, and often to give back by promoting further Organ Donation Awareness," said Prakash. "This gift of life also gives the donor family an opportunity to feel that their loved one’s death was not in vain, and has helped someone live.”
This Be A Donor month, visit www.BeADonor.ca to register, to confirm you are registered, or find out more.
Orillia’s registration rate of 40 per cent exceeds the province’s 35 percent registration rate. But we still want to do more. Visit www.BeADonor.ca to register or find out more.
For more information on organ and tissue donation in Ontario, or to learn more about Trillium Gift of Life Network, please contact Karyn Hyjek at [email protected] or 416-216-5931.
Trillium Gift of Life Network is the Government of Ontario agency responsible for planning, promoting, coordinating and supporting organ and tissue donation and transplantation across the province and for continually improving the system so that more lives can be saved.
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