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'lives depend on it': canadian blood services issues urgent call for blood donations
it really is in you to give — donate blood today and save someone's life.
the late anne heche was an organ donor
in 2019, more than 4,300 canadians were in need of an organ transplant, and 249 died waiting.
anne heche, 53, had been comatose in hospital with a severe brain injury since a car accident on august 5. (photo by gabriel bouys / afp)
actress anne heche was taken off life support, a representative confirmed, sunday night after a dramatic car crash nine days earlier. she had been considered legally dead since friday, being kept on life support to preserve her organs so they could be donated — a well-known wish of heche’s.
a representative for heche told people that a match was found, and that her organs would be donated, although they didn’t specify which ones. an “honour walk” will be performed just before the donation takes place, us weekly reported. after receiving consent from the organ donor’s family, hospital staff will line the path from the donor’s hospital room to the operating room, with the donor’s family member or loved one often accompanying the operating surgeon. the ritual pays respect to the deceased, whose decision to donate their organs means another person will have more time living a healthy life.
one organ and tissue donation can save up to 75 people
choosing to donate organs or other tissue after your death can save the lives of up to 75 people, according to health canada. in 2019, more than 4,300 canadians were in limbo waiting for organ transplants, and 249 died waiting for a transplant. the most commonly needed organs are kidneys. kidney disease is common — it’s thought to affect somewhere between 1.3 and 2.9 million canadians. if your kidneys aren’t working properly, the body can’t remove waste or balance fluids. and while a kidney transplant may sound like a last resort, webmd explains, it actually leads to a much better outcome than dialysis treatment.
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some organs can only come from someone who is deceased
kidney, liver and some lung transplants can come from living donors — people without kidney failure can live with just one kidney, and a small portion of the liver or a lobe of the lung can be removed and given to someone else for transplant. a pancreas donation from a live donor is technically possible, but rare. other organs, such as a heart, obviously can only come from a donor who is deceased.
tissue donations, too, can be vital: people who lost tissue due to cancer or other illnesses might need bones, tendons and ligaments, for instance, while burn victims may benefit from skin transplants.
it can also be especially challenging for those who are part of an ethnic minority to get donor organs. some blood types are much more common in people of specific races, the mayo clinic explains. black people, indigenous people, and asian and hispanic people are also more likely to have some conditions that impact the kidneys, heart, lung, pancreas and liver.
how are organ donors matched to recipients?
the first step towards matching donors with recipients is to test the organs to see how stable they are, according to transplant manitoba. the donor’s family is typically asked about the person’s habits and medical history, in the same way a blood donor would answer routine questions.
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then, before the organs are extracted, a recipient is chosen. people who have been waiting the longest for an organ donation are usually picked first. their blood type has to be compatible with the donor’s — height and weight are also considered. screening for a donor will also usually include human leukocyte antigen typing, a genetic test that can predict how likely a recipient’s body is to accept the new organ.
how do i become an organ donor?
health canada provides links to provincial organ donation for every province and territory. many places allow you to register online.
you won’t have to register, though, if you’re a resident of nova scotia: last year, the province passed north america’s first “deemed consent” law. rather than assuming that people aren’t donors unless they specifically register that they are, nova scotia assumes its adult residents consent to donating their organs after death. people who don’t want to be donors still have the choice to opt out.
maija kappler is a reporter and editor at healthing. you can reach her at mkappler@postmedia.com
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