Supporting Organ and Tissue Donation
- May 2008
- Français
Isaac Schoenhals had problems with his heart from the moment he was born. Just days old, Isaac went through a battery of tests which determined he had severe congenital heart defects. It would be the beginning of a medical odyssey that would see him undergo two surgeries – at one month of age and at six months of age.
By the age of five years, Isaac's health had steadily deteriorated. The Fort Erie boy had to be carried around - he couldn't run or ride his bike. His lips and fingernails were always a greyish-blue colour. Isaac's only hope for survival was a heart transplant.
Today, Isaac is a healthy and happy seven-year-old boy who is full of energy, mischief and laughter, deeply loved by his family who, in turn, are deeply grateful to the family who chose to give Isaac the gift of life by donating a heart.
"Having a sick child is one of the most helpless feelings a parent could have," says Isaac's mother Bonnie Doan. "To know that somebody who didn't even know us stepped up to the plate to help … that was our gift of life, our gift of love, from a perfect stranger."
Bonnie, together with Isaac, her husband Bill Schoenhals, and their daughter Jada, were among three families who recently shared their remarkable stories of how great the impact of organ and tissue donation can be when the Niagara Health System (NHS) hosted Niagara's second Living Green Ribbon event in conjunction with Trillium Gift of Life Network (TGLN).
Gift of Life Increasing in Niagara
Last year, as a result of efforts in Niagara, five people received life-saving organs, 92 people received the gift of sight through eye donations, and more than 300 people received the benefits from tissue donations, including skin, bone and heart valves.
"The Niagara Health System is very pleased with the progress we have made in increasing the number of organ and tissue donations over the last year," says Anne Atkinson, Vice President of Patient Services. "We are very mindful of the fact that these donations are the direct result of a family's loss of a loved one, and we are ever grateful to the family members who made the decision to donate their loved one's organs and tissue so others could live."
There are currently 1,665 people in Ontario, 54 of them from Niagara, on the transplant waiting list, and with every one donor's generosity, the gift of life possibilities are endless. One organ donor can save up to eight lives through organ donation and enhance the loves of up to 75 others, through tissue donation.
The Sweetest Possible Farewell
Giving the gift of life by donating their one-month-old daughter Sam's organs last November has helped Anne Ruddell and her husband Jim cope with the darkest moment in their life. "We want to share this little bit of light with others," says Anne, who lives in Grimsby.
"We believe that this had become Sam's purpose and that she fought so hard not to save her own life but to save the life of another. To give her heart to another baby was indeed her mission in life and it was a strong heart to give."
"We never speak of Sam's passing without sharing our pride in her ability to give the gift of life. It is something that we do with a smile on our face that helps to lessen the pain in our hearts, if ever so slightly," says Anne. "While experiencing the shock and pain in the hospital at the news of Sam's diagnosis, we found some comfort in the thought that we could take it away from at least one other family. This truly helped us to find some peace in the moment."
"It was the sweetest possible farewell to walk our Sam down to the OR where instead of goodbye we were able to say 'good luck.' We told Sam that we were proud of her, that we loved her and then we wished her good luck. I also told her to take it easy on the little recipient where her heart was to make its new home. I was confident that the transplant would be a success because of Sam's strong heart, spirit, and will to live."
Anne and Jim also took great comfort in the genuine love and compassion the medical professionals gave so generously to Sam throughout the process, sharing with Anne and Jim their expertise as well as their sorrow, frustrations, tears and joy.
A Living Green Ribbon
Niagara's Living Green Ribbon event on April 23 was part of the National Organ and Tissue Awareness Week in Ontario. Communities across Ontario held similar Living Green Ribbon events during the week.
The goal of the Living Green Ribbon is to get as many people as possible from across Niagara talking and thinking about organ and tissue donation. The NHS would like to thank the 125 participants who donned green ponchos and formed a Living Green Ribbon that was captured by an aerial photo.
Everyone is reminded to consider signing their donor card. Talk to your friends, family and colleagues about organ and tissue donation. Give the greatest gift of all, the gift of life so that others can live.
An Obvious Decision
After the sudden and tragic loss of his wife of almost 28 years last December, Jeff Eckhardt, who works at St. Catharines General Site of the NHS, made what he describes as the obvious decision to donate Denise's organs.
"We did not hesitate at all when faced with the most difficult decision in our life - giving the gift of life," says Jeff. "From the moment we met with the Trillium Gift of Life Network staff and expressed Denise's and our wishes for full organ and tissue donation, we soon learned how truly special these people are. They cared for Denise every step of the way, never leaving the bedside up to and including going with her into the O.R. for organ and tissue retrieval and making sure her generous gifts of life made it to the matched recipients."
"Words alone can never express the appreciation we have for the Trillium Gift of Life Network and the entire medical team responsible for Denise's care," says Jeff. "We have received strength and comfort to carry on knowing that Denise gave the ultimate gift of life."
The Green Awareness Ribbon is an international symbol of support for organ and tissue donation. Green symbolizes hope for those who are waiting for a second chance at life through transplantation; a reminder of the men, women and children who have died waiting for a life-saving transplant; and a thank you to donors and their families for giving the greatest gift of all, the gift of life so that another could live on.
To learn more about organ and tissue donation, please visit the Trillium Gift of Life Network website at www.giftoflife.on.ca or call 1-800-263-2833.