London’s rate of organ donors is above the provincial average, but the CEO of the Trillium Gift of Life Network is using National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week to encourage everyone to register.
According to Ronnie Gavsie, a single donor can save eight lives through organ donation, and another 75 through tissue donation.
London’s registration rate is 42 per cent, while Ontario’s is 32 per cent.
“We’ve seen the trajectory go up very gradually, but too gradually. We need to have the majority of Ontarians registered if we’re going to save all the lives that need to be saved,” she told 980 CFPL.
“In the north we have a few communities that are over 50 per cent. They’re small communities but they’re very cohesive and they feel each others’ pain. When one person is affected, everybody knows about it, so they tend to have higher registration.”
WATCH: Saving lives through organ donation
Still, Gavsie pointed out that the Trillium Gift of Life Network is hoping to see numbers rise to match or exceed the United States’ registration rate of 56 per cent.
Ontarians can quickly register online; the only information needed can be found on your health card.