There are currently more than 500 people in B.C. waiting for a life saving organ transplant, but only 19 per cent of British Columbians are registered organ donors.
To help raise awareness and encourage people to sign up, the third annual Transplant Trot was held at Burnaby Lake Park on Sunday.
Organizers would like to see everyone sign up to be a donor.
“I think people are worried,” said Margaret Benson from the Canadian Transplant Association. “They’re afraid, and we don’t want you to be organ donors, but we want you to register your wish so that if anything should happen your family knows. It’s harder to make that decision when you’re in a tragic situation, but if they already know what your wishes are, it makes it more palatable for the family. But it’s just so important that we register every British Columbian, every Canadian, everybody all over the world just needs to let people know that they want to be an organ donor when they pass on.”
Aside from some other Global BC employees, also taking part in the event were Elaine Yong and Aaron McArthur with their daughter Addison. She was only weeks old when she became the first infant to receive a heart transplant at BC Children’s Hospital.
Elaine and Aaron have since been huge advocates for organ donation as they understand what someone did to save their little girl.
“I’m just a proud father,” said Aaron. “She’s just so, she enjoys these things so much. It’s just great to see that she gets a chance to do it even, and that means a lot to us.”
“We were asked a while ago what a transplant means to us, and it means everything. It’s not like she knew what life was like before. Everything she does is because of a heart transplant. Everything she does is because somebody made a sacrifice and we don’t forget.”
Comments