Making plans for what comes after ‘kicking the bucket’ is not a topic with which a lot of people are comfortable.
Deciding who gets that beautiful silverware is one thing-determining what to do with one’s vital organs is a whole other discussion.
April is Be A Donor Month so naturally the Transplant Advocate Association (TAA) is using the opportunity to encourage people to think about being an organ donor. The concept-morbid as it may be-is pretty simple. Those that sign up to be an organ donor are essentially giving medical professionals permission to use any of their organs that are deemed healthy enough to be transplanted to those in dire need.
This year the TAA is aiming to be even more proactive, petitioning the Ontario government to adopt a ‘presumed consent’ model when it comes to organ donation. Essentially. unless a patient specifically registered their objection to donating organs, it’s presumed that they’re ok with it. Those too young to understand the concept would not be considered and the family would still be consulted-but at its very core, the idea is to allow for more life-saving transplants to take place-in a manner that is respectful to all involved during a traumatic time.
Considering the net good this process will have in terms of lives saved, it makes a to of sense. Body autonomy is important and must be respected at all costs-but when lives are on the line and there’s every reason to suspect a recently deceased person would have no objections, it’s the right thing to do.
According to the TAA, every three days in Ontario someone on a transplant waiting list dies. These are people who doctors have determined could live a reasonably healthy life following a transplant. The TAA also reports that though 90 per cent of Ontarians are in favour of organ donation, only 35 per cent have registered their wishes to do so.
If the petition gains traction and makes it to the Ontario legislature, they wouldn’t even be re-inventing the wheel so to speak. Nova Scotia has already adopted the system and could serve as a valuable resource to see what works and what doesn’t to help Ontario make the transition.
As much as people may want to avoid the topic when the time comes and a family member, friend or even they need a transplant, they’ll be glad this avenue exists to strengthen the odds of finding a match.
-On a personal note, a hearty thank you to everyone who has reached out with well wishes following last week’s announcement of new ownership. It’s been a whirlwind of literally hundreds of kind messages capped with an invite to talk live on CBC’s Ontario Morning. Not usually one to seek the spotlight (yes, this coming from the guy who put himself on the front page of his own paper last week), the 15 minutes of fame was awkward, but much appreciated.
The local support has been extremely encouraging and further reinforces that this leap of faith was a sound one.
-Adam Prudhomme