Families of organ donors are invited back to the KGH site to place the name of their loved one a memorial wall
Families of organ donors are invited back to the KGH site to place the name of their loved one a memorial wall
Credit
Matthew Manor

Organ and tissue donations save hundreds of lives across the province each year. Now, Kingston Health Sciences Centre is being called out for being leaders in organ and tissue donations.

A recent report by Trillium Gift of Life Network shows that at the KGH site, 100 per cent of patients who are registered donors and are in a position to donate follow-though with their donation. 

“It’s a great achievement to have patients and families recognize the gift of organ and tissue donations and to want to make a positive impact out of what can be a difficult situation,” said Cathy MacGillvary, a social worker with the Critical Care program. “But there’s still work for us to do. We want to raise awareness among our staff, patients and families about the importance of first registering to become an organ or tissue donor.” 

This month is Be a Donor month, and the focus for this year’s campaign is to encourage everyone to check their donor status or to learn more about how to become an organ and tissue donor.

‘Oftentimes people think that they have registered to become an organ or tissue donor when they actually haven’t,” says Susan Warr, Organ and Tissue Donation Coordinator with the Trillium Gift of Life Network. “Our province has gone through health cards changes and not everyone’s status was captured correctly. Ensuring your donation status is up-to-date is as simple as entering your health card information on the Be a Donor website.”

Through a donation, one organ donor can save eight lives and enhance the lives of 75 others through tissue donation. Currently, more than 1,600 Ontarians are waiting to receive transplants and thousands await tissue transplants.

To learn more about registering to be an organ and/or tissue donor, or to check your current registration status, please visit www.beadonor.ca.