Six years after organ donation breakthrough, more must be done

Ottawa Citizen | Emile Thieren

This past June 17 marked the sixth anniversary of the death of my beloved daughter. She died of sudden cardiac arrest at the young age of 32. Sarah Beth very much wanted to be an organ donor. We had talked about it on a previous occasion in a completely unrelated way. She made it very clear to us that if she were gone, she would want someone else to live.

In death, Sarah Beth became a medical pioneer. For the first time in Canada cardiac death, not brain death was the criterion for allowing her organs to be taken for transplant. Her kidneys were transplanted into two individuals who we understand are now living full, productive and healthy lives. Her corneas were transplanted into two females, enabling both to regain full sight.

Up to that point in Canada organs were taken only from a person who is declared brain-dead, meaning the brain shows no sign of life. But brain death occurs in only about 1.5 per cent of in-hospital deaths. In Ontario, about 30,000 people die in hospitals annually. That leaves a potential donor pool of only 450 individuals — minus those deemed medically unsuitable and those whose families decline to consent — in a province where the waiting list for organs now stands at more than 1,500.

This pioneering effort in organ donation has been a powerful and rewarding experience for my family.

The decision to allow organs to be transplanted from donors who have suffered cardiac death (DCD) is proving to be a success. According to Dr. Bill Wall, director of the Transplant Program at the London Health Sciences Centre in London, Ont., DCD accounts for about 14 per cent of transplant activity at his hospital; a large proportion are liver and kidney. Dr. Sam Shemie, medical adviser, Organ and Tissue Program, Canadian Blood Services, estimates DCD can increase the number of organ donors by anywhere from 10 to 30 per cent. He says DCD is moving in the right direction, but has not reached its full potential.

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{Register to be an organ,eye and tissue donor. To learn how, www.donatelife.net or www.organdonor.gov}