Are you registered as an organ donor?

RMH team encourages everyone to join organ donor registration drive in February

On February 4th, RMH is launching its month long donor registration drive with a special event in the main lobby (9am-2pm). Hospital staff are available to answer questions about the organ and tissue donor program at RMH. Computers are set up in the lobby, beside other life-saving equipment, making it easy to log on and make your decision to save lives be known.

It takes two minutes to register. It can take two minutes to buy a coffee and cookie. So, to help save people the two minutes it takes to register, the hospital team has coffee and cookies available — one less line to stand in.

Currently in the City of Kawartha Lakes, there are 19 people waiting for an organ transplant. Thirteen are waiting for a new kidney, two need a kidney and pancreas transplant, two more need a new liver, one needs a lung, and another, a pancreas.

The majority of Canadians agree that organ, eye and tissue donation is a good thing, but less than half are registered donors. In fact, in our community, only 25% have registered their consent through the province’s Trillium Gift of Life program.

Many of us think that we are registered, since we signed a donor card that we carry in our wallets. However, a signed donor card is not recorded in the province’s database and may not be available when it’s needed. As anyone on the transplant list can attest, time is of vital importance when donation becomes possible.

On average, only 2-3% of hospital deaths occur in circumstances that will permit a person to become an organ donor. Having immediate access to a potential donor’s registration is a key part of the process that can result in a successful transplant.  

Evidence shows, when families are presented with proof of a loved one’s donor registration, they’re more likely to consent to donation, but in the absence of registration, consent drops dramatically.

One organ donor can save eight lives. Visit the RMH donor registration page and help us increase the list of registered donors by 150.

For more information about organ and tissue donation, visit the Trillium Gift of Life Frequently Asked Questions page.