From Queen’s Park by Sylvia Jones MPP — April is a good moth to decide to ‘BeADonor’

April 15, 2015 · 0 Comments

Last week, I was pleased to read a statement in the Legislature on BeADonor Month.
April is Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Month, more commonly known as BeADonor Month. I would like to recognize the efforts of the Trillium Gift of Life Network. They were able to register more than 254,000 individuals to become an organ and tissue donor last year. More than three million Ontarians (almost 27 per cent) have already registered their consent to donate organs or tissue after their death. It’s an important milestone we can celebrate, but we need more people to register to BeADonor.
The good news: Last year alone, 265 organ donors saved more than 1,000 individuals’ lives because of a transplant. This is a new record. It’s important to note that one donor can save up to eight lives, and can help the lives of up to 75 individuals by donating tissue. The challenge: The reality is today in Ontario, there are still more than 1,500 people waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant. While organ and tissue donation has increased significantly in Ontario, a person dies every three days because there are still not enough donors to meet the need.
The next time you are with your family, talk about the importance of registering to become a donor, and why organ donation is important to you. Potential donations have been lost because many family members were not aware of their loved ones’ wishes.
Trillium Gift of Life Network, Ontario’s organ and tissue donation and transplant agency, is marking BeADonor Month throughout the province with awareness raising events being held in cooperation with local advocacy groups, as well as many organ donor registration drives, including 25 being held by Ontario hospitals.
Every single person deserves the chance to live, and all we have to do is register. That is why I encourage everyone to take the time and register to become a donor. It only takes two minutes to register on line at www.BeADonor.ca or your local ServiceOntario Centre.