Letter - Organ transplants

My wife and I have been living in James Bay for a year now, and would like to thank all of the friendly members of the community for making us feel welcome in our new neighborhood and city. I would not have met everyone in this wonderful community if it weren’t for an organ donor. Almost 11 years ago, when I was 21, I received the gift of life. I had cancer as a child (2-6 years), which hurt my heart. I lived in agonizing heart failure for 7 years as a teenager before finding a match. There are many people in our community who are waiting for a transplant, and many will die waiting. Only 1% of deaths are donation eligible and only 25% of British Columbians are registered to be donors. The registration number needs to improve to save lives!

In Canada if we become sick, we expect to be taken care of. Thus, I think it is our responsibility to do our part to take care of others in our community.

Please go to www.bctransplant.bc.ca to register. All you need is your health care number and it takes 5 minutes. You could save up to 8 lives; I could not think of a better way to leave a legacy. To date the oldest organ donor has been 92 years old, and you are still eligible to register to be a donor if you take any medications or have any medical condition.

Please register, and support your community at www.bctransplant.ca, or contact me at jamiebarber88@hotmail.com and I can get a donation form to you with a prepaid stamp. 

Humbly,

Jamie Barber