Letter: Be a donor, save a life

Twice — first with my wife Anne and then with our son Jessie — I have witnessed firsthand the desperation of patients waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant and the miraculous transformation with a second chance at life they get through the gift of organ donation.

April is Be a Donor Month in Ontario, providing an opportunity for advocates and volunteers like myself from across the Greater Sudbury region and the province to show their support for organ and tissue donation and transplantation.

Anyone 16 or older with a valid Ontario health card is eligible to register.

Provincially, 24 per cent of those eligible have registered their consent. We are making strides in Ontario, but there is still much work to be done.

Here in the Greater Sudbury region, we’re doing better than the provincial average with 52 to 43 per cent of people registered. This is great, but we can do better.

We have a pretty simple task during Be a Donor Month — register your consent and talk to your friends, family members or coworkers and encourage one additional person to register consent this month.

Thank you to those many donor families who have helped save nearly 10,000 Ontarians and to those who have registered as organ and tissue donors, who will help to save many more.

With your OHIP card in hand, and two minutes of your time, you can register or check your status at www.beadonor.ca. You may also register at a ServiceOntario Centre or through the mail by completing a Gift of Life consent form.

Richard St. Amour
Sudbury, Ont.