While 85 per cent of British Columbians support organ donation, only 18 per cent are registered donors, and in light of national organ and tissue donation week, advocates are urging people to change that.
Global BC personalities Elaine Yong and Aaron McArthur know all too well how important organ donation is.
When their daughter Addison was just 20 days old she had to undergo a life-saving heart transplant, the first one done on an infant at BC Children’s Hospital.
“When the doctor told us your daughter might not make it… we shed a lot of tears. It was horrible,” Yong said.
Thankfully, Addison was only on the transplant list for a couple days before a match was found.
MacArthur said it was extremely frightening when she went in for surgery.
“You know she’s going to die if she doesn’t get it, you’re worried that she’s going to die because of it and all you can do is put your trust in your doctors,” he said.
Two years later, Addison is a happy toddler thanks to her transplant, but Yong and McArthur said her new heart is not a cure.
“We have to give her meds for the rest of her life,” Yong said. “We are very closely monitored by infant development – we’ve got all kinds of specialists, physiotherapy. For the first year she was a little bit slower, kind of like a pre-mature baby would be.”
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Addison’s compromised immune system has resulted in some prolonged hospital stays while she battled pneumonia.
However, despite struggles with Addison’s health, Yong and McArthur have made the decision to live life to the fullest, and for them that includes travelling as a family.
“You can’t live afraid,” McArthur said.
“You don’t want to live your life like a sick person,” Yong said. “We really don’t know how long her life’s going to be, and no one really knows that about anyone,” Yong said.
The family is a huge supporter of organ donation, avid bloggers and also take part in the Transplant Trot every year.
Watch the full interview with McArthur, Yong and Addison on AM/BC with Jill Krop:
In light of organ tissue donor awareness week, which runs from Monday to Friday, BC Transplant is urging people to register online or in person to become donors.
BC Transplant said there are four key reasons why people haven’t registered, including thinking – wrongly – that doctors won’t try to save their life or it’s against their religion.
Other reasons include thinking the decal on a driver’s licence or care card is enough.
BC Transplant said the decal system was replaced with the official Organ Donor Registry in 1997 and the only legal way to register is made by signing a printed form or online.
Other people may think they are too old or unhealthy to donate, but BC Transplant urges people to let the specialists decide. The oldest donor in Canada was 92 years old and a medical condition may not prevent you from saving someone’s life through organ donation.
More than 490 people in B.C. are currently waiting for a life-saving transplant. As of April 10, nearly 900,000 people have registered to be an organ donor, but since less than one per cent of people die in a way that allows then to donate, it’s important more people register, according to BC Transplant.
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