thankyou the living proof - canadian transplant · a family membership will include all related...
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Thank youfor supporting the Canadian Transplant Association
Canadian Transplant Associationc/o N. Folkins
11649 St. Albert Trail NW
Edmonton, AB T5M 3L6
Issue #27 Spring/Summer 2009
110000 DDaayyss TToo GGoo!!
Countdown to the 17th World Transplant Games
NOTDAW
Celebrated Across the Country
Canadian Transplant AssociationThe Living Proof
www.organ-donation-works.org
Update from SickKids
Research Grant Awarded at CSTConference
Bonjour,
As the 17th World Transplant Games in Australia are only a couple of months away, many of you have been training hard to show your loved ones, friends, healthcare professionals, and fellow Canadians your amazing success stories of organ donation and transplantation.
With all of the last minute details to finalize, items such as medical forms, flight bookings and sightseeing tours around the beautiful country of Australia, one can’t help but think about how your life has changed since receiving a transplant.
Many who have faced a life threatening challenge to their health, soon come to realize that life has much more tooffer than once thought. Some will find themselves initially looking into the past to evaluate their position in life, or to validate the path they had chosen, which brought them to where they stand today. As health improves a newfound outlook on life begins. Each day you awake is another day filled with possibilities to try something new or to make changes in your life that will fill your heart and soul with happiness. Some may go back to school for acareer change; others might take up a sport or hobby, or even explore the globe seeking adventure and wisdom.
This feeling is normal. A transplant is life changing. It gives us the time and ability to follow our dreams in goodhealth and well being. So, when you get up in the morning, take a good look outside and think of what the day,week or year might have to offer you. You might just surprise yourself with what you are really capable of doing.
If you noticed the greeting at the beginning of this column, it was a quick hint as to where the 5th CanadianTransplant Games will be held. In much anticipation, it is now official that the next Canadian Transplant Games will be held in Quebec City at Laval University from August 9–14, 2010. I look forward to the great hospitality of Quebec City and to working with the organizing committee to bring you another fantastic event to showcase your successful transplants. Have a great summer!
President’s Corner David Smith, Kidney Recipient, Edmonton, AB
ON THE COVER -
Quebec City: Host of the 5th
Canadian Transplant Games,
August 9–14, 2010
President - David [email protected]
Past President - Janet [email protected]
Vice-President West - Margaret [email protected]
Vice-President East - Amy [email protected]
Treasurer- Debbie [email protected]
Secretary - Kathy [email protected]
Membership Director - Neil [email protected]
Team Manager - Rosie [email protected]
WTGF Councillor - Heather [email protected]
REGIONAL DIRECTORS
BC - Margaret [email protected]
AB - Jennifer [email protected]
SK - Orest [email protected]
MB - Brent [email protected]
ON - Rob [email protected]
QC - Gaston [email protected]
NB - Mark [email protected]
Inside This Issue...President’s Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Educating Students on Organ and Tissue Donation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Informer des étudiants sur le don d'organes et de tissus . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
100 Days-To-Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Update from SickKids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Health Works Bulletin: Get Out of Your Food Rut! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Ontario Launches RecycleMe.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
L’Ontario lance RecycleMe.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Educating Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Building Better Organ and Tissue Donation
and Transplant Services for Canadians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Don et transplantation d’organes et de tissus
Pour de meilleurs services aux Canadiens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
NOTDAW in New Brunswick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
17th World Transplant Games: Gold Coast Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Organ Donor Awareness Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Heart of a Champion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Upcoming Events for Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Publications Mail Agreem
ent Number: 40033698
Editors Rosie McHugh and Heather Fisher
For regional reports and other interesting articles check out “The Members Corner”
on our website www.organ-donation-works.org (under About CTA).
MEMBERSHIP FEES
One Year Individual Membership $30.00
Two Year Individual Membership $50.00
Lifetime Individual Membership $300.00
One Year Family Membership $75.00
A family membership will include all related adults and children who live at the same address.
Neil Folkins, Membership Director, c/o 11649 St Albert Trail NW Edmonton, AB T5M 3L6
Educating Students onOrgan and Tissue DonationWritten by Gaston Martin, Regional Director, QC.
On April 22nd Gaston Martin, a heart
transplant recipient, was asked by M. J.F.
Santerre, assistant director of the
Charlemagne College in Pierrefonds, P.Q.
to present to two groups of high school
students. Gaston talked about his own
personal experience as a heart recipient
and different issues concerning organ
and tissue donation. Over 100 students
attended the sessions. During the lunch
hour Gaston and his wife Diane were
challenged to play badminton against
two of the best players in their institution.
Gaston clearly demonstrated that organ
donations work as the super vet won
the match. His opponents were awarded
sport towels as a consolation prize.
Informer des étudiants sur le don d'organes et de tissus
Ecrit par Gaston Martin, Directeur Régional, P.Q.
À la demande de M. Jean-François Santerre
(Directeur Adjoint) collège Charlemagne
à Pierrefonds, P.Q., Gaston Martin (greffé
cardiaque) et son épouse Diane se sont
rendu à cette prestigieuse institution pour
livrer un témoignage et leur expérience
face à la transplantation ainsi que de
discuter sur le don d'organes et de tissus.
Une compétition de badminton fût organisée
entre 12:00 et 13:30 entre les deux meilleurs
joueurs du collège et Gaston et son épouse.
L'expérience des doyens s'est avèrée
importante puisqu'ils ont gagné 21 à 11.
Pour atténuer leur déception les perdants
ont reçu une serviette sport. Au-delà
de 100 jeunes réparti sur deux groupes
ont assistés aux conferences.
Based on the success of our team trip toBangkok in 2007, Alie Drabble (transplantnurse co-ordinator) and Robin Deliva(physiotherapist) from SickKids lookforward to bringing a team of juniors tocompete this summer on the Gold Coast in Australia. Time is speeding by and withless than three months until departure theCanadian juniors (and their supporters) aregetting very excited and are training hard to get ready for the 17th World TransplantGames. This year we encouraged athletesfrom all organ groups to participate and are proud to share that our group will be made up of heart, lung, liver and kidney transplant recipients — a total of twenty-five children and adolescents,along with approximately 75 supporters.
In February of this year, Robin and a group of health professionals fromSickKids (Samantha Anthony (SocialWorker), Vanessa Pellow, Carol McLister, Catherine Patterson and Stephanie So(Physiotherapists), Stacey Pollock-BarZiv(Researcher), Alie Drabble and Dr. AnneDipchand) won a research grant from theCanadian Society of Transplantation (CST)to look at the impact of participating in the World Transplant Games. The fundingfor this project, titled “The Impact ofParticipation in the World TransplantGames on Physical Fitness, ActivityPatterns and Quality of Life in PediatricTransplant Recipients” enabled the Juniorsupport team to organize three separatetraining sessions, which provided theathletes with one-on-one instruction from experienced individuals, includingOlympic level coaches.
This is an important endeavour becausealthough there is some published literaturethat describes exercise limitations inpaediatric transplant recipients, few studies
have looked at the physical and emotional benefits gained by training for and competing in sporting events such as the World Transplant Games. This project will help us to understandthe factors which determine physicalfitness, activity levels and quality of life in these children. Our team is hoping touse the results from this project to enhancepost transplant exercise rehabilitationprograms and post transplant activitycounselling in an effort to maximize quality of life. Of course, this also providesan equally important opportunity topromote the WTG and the experience and joy that it brings.
These three training days, as well as theindividualized, personal training schedulesthat these kids have been provided with willcontinue to provide a firm base which willencourage our athletes to see their sportingpotential. It has also been the basis of somenew found friendships which we all thinkwill grow and develop in our build up tothe big event — Australia 2009!
Update from SickKidsWritten by Alie Drabble, Transplant Nurse Coordinator, Hospital for Sick Kids
www.health-works.info
Health Works Bulletin:Get Out of Your Food Rut
People often fall into food ruts when
they don’t enjoy cooking. So rather
than seeing it as a chore, have some
fun in the kitchen and get creative.
Make mealtimes special and rather
than eating in front of the TV, set
the table, light candles, play some
music, talk to each other and savour
the tastes and aromas of the great
food you’ve prepared. For inspiration,
look in cook books and try one new
recipe, or try a new food, every week.
When food shopping, start scanning
the fruit and vegetable section for
foods you don’t normally buy,
and walk down different aisles.
Maximize your nutrient intake
by including one food from each
of the colours every day:
Red: strawberries, raspberries,
tomatoes, peppers, radishes
and watermelon
Orange: oranges, carrots,
apricots and pumpkin.
Yellow: yellow squash,
yellow peppers, melons
and sweetcorn.
Green: lettuce, rocket, spinach,
watercress, celery and peas.
Blue and Purple: blueberries,
blackberries, beetroot, red cabbage,
kidney beans and plums.
Vary your breakfast, lunch and
dinners everyday so you don’t
get bored with food.
Finally, avoid thinking of food as a
routine – so if you’re used to three
meals a day, have six mini meals
instead, such as nuts and seeds,
humus and vegetable crudités, soup,
bean salads, Spanish omelette and oat
cakes with nut butter. You’ll wonder
why you never tried it before!
We’re counting down the days until the
17th World Transplant Games! Imagine
— the world’s largest awareness event
for organ and tissue donation. And it’s
on the beautiful Gold Coast, Australia.
I am ecstatic to be welcoming you to
the Games and to this magnificent
country. There is also so much to get
done between now and then, but we
can proudly report that the games
management is coming along nicely.
If you’ve already registered, please
phone, door knock, email, SMS —
whatever it takes — to get your fellow
athletes to register before June 15.
There are almost 1,600 people
registered from 46 WTGF member
countries so far which means we are
on track for a world record — help us
to get more than 2,000 to the Games.
The English are certainly bringing a
merry bunch and if you happen to
notice the tea stock is running short,
its because they are bringing the
largest international team (300
strong). The home nation is rivalling
these numbers closely and I’m sure
the competition will be hot.
Hopefully your training schedule is on
schedule. Australia has a proud history
of sportsmanship, great sports people
and spectator-fever, and these games
will be no different. Check the results
from the Bangkok Games to weigh up
your record setting skills or to inspire
your training program.
The most important question… what
should you pack? Here’s a quick guide
to what you’ll need to survive what will
be a great Games:
1. Your cossie, trunks, bathers,
swimmers, budgie smugglers — or if
you’re French, your ‘maillon de bain’.
The water temperature promises to
be around 20–22 degrees Celsius,
which is quite balmy compared to
what our English friends are use to.
2. Slip, slop, slap. Don’t forget the
sunscreen. Days will be quite warm —
remember the phrase — ‘Queensland
— beautiful one day, perfect the next’.
3. Your sunnies – the days in
August should be clear blue skies
with plenty of sunshine. Don’t
forget your sunglasses.
4. There’ll be a great shindig at the
gala dinner so frock up — in other
words, bring something glamorous.
5. A good hat — you probably won’t
need one complete with dangling
corks to keep the flies away but a
good broad-rimmed hat is essential
for surviving Australia.
6. Your joggers. Although
accommodation is quite close to
the Games Village, a pair of casual
sports shoes won’t go astray.
7. Binoculars — its whale watching
season, so if you plan to venture
out into the deep blue a pair of
binoculars is a must.
8. Some courage — at Seaworld you
can swim with the sharks – it is safe,
we promise. However a little bit of
courage won’t go astray.
9. Your thongs — well at least that’s
what we call them in Australia. Flop
flops, sandals, double pluggers.
Anything to encourage a bit of sand
between the toes. And if you decide
to bring your other thong — well
that’s none of our business.
A beach towel — they’ll be plenty
of chance to catch a few rays — with
plenty of sunscreen of course. Then
again you could forget your towel and
buy one of our special limited edition
towels to celebrate the World Games.
All the best and look forward
to meeting you here!
100 Days-To-Go!Written by Chris Thomas,
Chair Local Organising Committee,
CEO Transplant Australia
On April 20 the Trillium Gift of LifeNetwork and the province of Ontariolaunched a new advertising campaignaimed at raising organ donation awarenessto people ages 15-24. The provocative new
campaign is anchored by the web sitehttp://RecycleMe.org, which asks youngpeople to consider the critical need fordonors as the ultimate act of "recycling."The campaign, which aims to raise donorconsent registrations, was developed with ayouth advisory panel to ensure that itsmessage would reach its target audience.
Running throughout the spring andsummer, the province-wide campaignincludes gripping transit and online ads which drive you to the web site.RecycleMe.org includes inspirationaltestimonials from people who have had personal experiences with
organ and tissue donation. The site gives people of all ages a chance to "join the movement" to pledge their support for organ and tissue donation. And, people can download the consent form to be an organ and tissue donor for the province of Ontario.
There are currently 1700 people on
the organ waiting list in Ontario. Every
three days someone in Ontario dies
while waiting for an organ transplant.
Ontario Launches RecycleMe.orgWritten by Amy Holdorf, Vice President East, Kidney Recipient
Le 20 avril, le Réseau Trillium pour le don de vie (Trillium Gift of Life Network) et la province de l’Ontario ont lancé unenouvelle campagne de publicité visant àsensibiliser les jeunes de 15 à 24 ans au don d’organes et de tissus. Cette campagneprovocante, accessible sur le site webbilingue http://RecycleMe.org, veutconscientiser les jeunes au besoin critiquede donneurs et leur propose d’envisager le don d’organes comme un acte ultime de «recyclage». Le concept, qui vise àaugmenter le nombre de consentementsécrits au don d’organes et de tissus, a étéélaboré avec un groupe consultatif de jeunes afin que le message atteigne plus spécifiquement le public visé.
Diffusée ce printemps et cet été, la campagne provinciale utilise des panneaux dans les transportspublics ainsi que des annonces en lignepour inciter à consulter le site web. Ontrouve sur RecycleMe.org des témoignagesinspirants de gens ayant vécu uneexpérience de don d’organes et de tissus.Le site donne aux gens de tout âge la possibilité de donner officiellement leur soutien en cliquant sur «Joignez-vousau mouvement». On peut aussi télécharger le formulaire de nsentement utilisé enOntario pour indiquer que l’on consent au don d’organes et de tissus.
Il y a présentement 1700 personnes en
Ontario sur la liste d’attente pour une
transplantation. Tous les trois jours, dans
cette province, une personne meurt en
attente d’un don d’organes ou de tissus.
L’Ontario lance RecycleMe.orgEcrit par Amy Holdorf, vice-président Est, greffée du rein
For the past seven years, prior to andduring National Organ and TissueDonor Awareness Week, I have beeneducating my Grade 11 classes atMedway High School in London on this topic. This year, the students wereengaged in a variety of lessons, rangingfrom questionnaires, knowledge and factssheets, and a case study requiring each‘transplantation team’ to make a decisionas to whom would be a recipient, andwho would receive the next availableorgan. The students also watched theDVD, One Life - Many Gifts, which is included in this curriculum programdeveloped through funding from theOntario Government and the TrilliumGift of Life and is currently beingimplemented throughout Ontario.During the last class of the unit, studentsheard the story of my bone marrowtransplant, and participation in theCanadian and World Transplant Games.
I thoroughly enjoy teaching this unit as the students become so much more awareof organ and tissue donation, and for the majority of them, it encourages andmotivates them to sign their organ donorcards, take pamphlets home to their parentsand discuss this topic with family andfriends. The students are always thankfulfor what they have learned, and really enjoyhearing about the transplant games. As partof the program, I share with the studentssome of my medals and photos from the games, my Canadian team uniformsthat I have so proudly worn while
representing our country and a DVD clip from the 2005 World Games fromLondon, ON.
This year was extra special, as
Brent Dueck, a kidney transplant
recipient from Winnipeg, was
in London for a few days and
accepted an invitation to share
his story with three of my classes.
It was great for the students to
hear Brent’s story, and to see
him in person, as I had previously
shown the students a DVD where
Brent and I play together on
the Canadian volleyball team.
Brent’s presentation certainly
added to this year’s incredible
teaching experience.
Every year, I am more convinced that educating students about organ and tissue donation and transplantation is so valuable in increasing organ donorawareness. The students are intrigued by the medical advancement oftransplantation, the different kinds of transplants and the success rates. But, more importantly, they talk to their friends and family about this topic,which is the main goal of the unit. As more and more young people today arebecoming educated about organ and tissue donation and transplantation theycontinue to promote the motto from the last World Games in Thailand....
“Life is precious... share it”.
Educating StudentsWritten by Leslie Petter, Bone Marrow Transplant, March 1989, London, ON
This year we enjoyed our mostsuccessful NOTDAW to date. With over 100 participants in the 5thAnnual Transplant Trot, and an equalnumber attending our Gift of Life Gala Dinner and Casino Night, the NB Branch is very proud of the awareness generated this year.
The run was the best yet
with about 90 runners and
walkers participating in 5K
& 10K distances in the
Moncton event as well as
more than 30 participants
joining in the event hosted
in Fredericton the following
week. The NB committee
hopes to spread the event
to Saint John next year.
This year’s Gift of Life Gala once againgrew in size and scope. In attendancewere recipients, donor families, peopleon the waiting list, and even a livingdonor just 3 months post-donation!We were also privileged to have theOLDEST (in age) living liver recipientin Canada attend our dinner.
We were fortunate again to haveWESTJET donate 2 ROUND TRIPTICKETS anywhere they fly for ourGift of Life Gala. This incentive proveda very successful way to raise moneyand interest in the event.
Our branch also hosted a beautiful and impactful "Celebration of Thanks"where testimonials were heard from a Donor Mom and a recipient.Medallions were presented to severaldonor family members and afterwardspeople were given the opportunity tomingle and share stories. This was awonderful way for all involved to seethe impact from the Gift of Life.
This year's NOTDAW providedopportunity for our local branch to be featured in several local mediaoutlets both in print and on radio, thus reaching a wider audience than is possible through events alone.
During this week an educationalsession was hosted by the localsynagogue to share the Jewishperspective on Organ Donation. This was very beneficial for both Jewish and non-Jewish members of the community to better understandthe Jewish perspective on the issue ofdonation as well an opportunity todispel myths and hopefully increasedonor rates among this population.
The NB Branch, though small, is
growing and our impact and reach
in the region is increasing. We are
proud of the accomplishments of
our dedicated group and look
forward to bigger and better
things in the year to come.
Live Today from the Heart!
NOTDAW in New BrunswickWritten by Mark Black, Heart Recipient - Regional Director, NB
17th WorldTransplant Games:Gold Coast AustraliaWritten by Rosie McHugh, Team Manager
The excitement for the 17th World
Transplant Games is building as they
fast approach. The final deadline for
registration for the Games is June 15th.
At the time of print, registration for the
Canadian team stands at 148 persons:
48 athletes (22 Juniors and 26 adults)
and 100 supporters. Please be sure that
you read and adhere to all the deadline
requirements so as not to miss out
on this opportunity!
We will be having a full report on
the Games following our return in
the December edition.
Any questions or concerns can be
addressed to the Team Manager, Rosie
McHugh at [email protected]
or 519-672-6777.
Please be sure to check both
the Games website:
www.worldtransplantgames09.com
and the CTA website:
www.organ-donations-works.org
for the latest updates.
Wishing the team
much success
as they prepare
and compete
for Canada at
these Games.
In response to requests from health care organizations across the country,Accreditation Canada is creating standardsfor organ and tissue donation andtransplant. The standards are beingdeveloped with input from hospitals and a number of organizations, includingthe Trillium Gift of Life Network, QuébecTransplant, BC Transplant, CanadianBlood Services, Health Canada, HémaQuébec, Canadian Standards Association,and the Kidney Foundation.
Starting in 2010, hospitals will use the accreditation standards to examine and improve the quality of their donation and transplant services.
Canada has some of the lowest rates for organ and tissue donation in theindustrialized world. “Organ and tissuedonation and transplant is a crucial area inhealth care. Including this new componentin our accreditation program will result in definitive steps to improve our rates of donation and transplant in Canada,” says Wendy Nicklin, Accreditation Canada President and CEO.
For more information on the organ and
tissue donation and transplant standards,
please contact Mireille Cyr- Hansen at
PartnershipsContracts@accreditation-
canada.ca.
Accreditation Canada has been fosteringquality in health services across Canada and internationally for over 50 years. The independent, not-for-profit,organization offers national standards of excellence addressing governance,leadership, and service delivery in more than 30 health care sectors.Accreditation Canada is accredited by the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua).
Building Better Organ and Tissue Donationand Transplant Services for Canadians
Pour répondre à la demande de différentes organisations de la santé au pays, Agrément Canada est en train de mettre en place des normes encadrant le don d’organes et de tissus de même quela transplantation. L’élaboration de cesnormes se fait en collaboration avec deshôpitaux et de nombreuses organisationstelles que le Réseau Trillium pour la vie(organisme ontarien de don d’organes et de tissus), Québec Transplant, BCTransplant, la Société canadienne du sang, Santé Canada, Héma-Québec,l’Association canadienne de normalisationet la Fondation canadienne du rein.
À partir de 2010, les hôpitaux utiliserontces normes pour évaluer et améliorer la qualité de leurs services en ce qui a trait au don d’organes et de tissus de même qu’à à la transplantation.
Parmi tous les pays développés, c’est auCanada qu’on retrouve le taux le plus bas de dons d’organes et de tissus. « Le don et latransplantation d’organes et de tissus est unélément crucial dans le domaine des soinsde santé. Le fait d’inclure cette nouvellecomposante dans notre programmed’agrément nous permettra de franchir des étapes significatives dans l’améliorationde notre taux de dons et de transplantationsau pays, » dit Wendy Nicklin, présidente et directrice générale d’Agrément Canada.
Pour plus d’information sur la
transplantation et le don d’organes
et de tissus, on peut s’adresser
à Mireille Cyr-Hansen à
PartnershipsContracts@accreditation-
Canada.ca
Depuis plus de 50 ans, Agrément Canadaencourage la mise en place de soins dequalité dans quelque 30 secteurs dudomaine de la santé, tant au niveaunational qu’international. Organismeindépendant à but non lucratif et agréé par l’International Society for Quality in Healthcare (ISQua), il fournit auxorganismes de santé des normes nationalesd’excellence en matière de gouvernance, de direction et de prestation de services.
Don et transplantation d’organes et de tissusPour de meilleurs services aux Canadiens
Living Green Ribbon at Queen's Park in Toronto
Vancouver Fun RunThe Vancouver's Gift of Life Organ Donation
Works Sun Run team completed their sixth
year as participants in this huge event that
drew over 58,000 participants this year!
Thirty-five people registered for the team
for this event that is always held on the first
day of National Organ and Tissue Donor
Awareness Week (NOTDAW). The BC team
included 11 recipients and one living donor.
One of our newly transplanted double lung
recipients, Cheryl Nilsson (one year post
transplant), was interviewed by both
the local and national Global TV.
Cheryl who was one of the many people
the team ran for last year, helped to get the
message out that organ donation works.
Curling for AwarenessLondon Health Sciences hosted a curling bonspeil for
Organ Donor Awareness in April. Volunteers Heather
Fisher and Nan Fraser happily registered the participants.
Conference on TransplantationDave Smith, CTA President, Margaret Benson, CTA
Vice–President West and Alie Drabble, Hospital for
Sick Kids participated in the Canadian Society of
Transplantation (CST) Conference in Banff, March, 2009.
Organ Donor Awareness Events
Upcoming Events for Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness
June 7, 2009
Butterfly Run, a 5K run/walk in
memory of Olivia Barron
East Don River ParkNorth York, Ontario
For more info contact Bridget or Paul
Barron at [email protected], or Rob
Kolatschek at [email protected]
August 22–30, 2009
17th World Transplant Games
Gold Coast Australia
October 23, 2009
BC: Halloween Dance
Mark your calendars —
details to follow. 7:30pm
August 9–14, 2010
5th Canada Games
Quebec City
Keep up to date with events in your
area on our website:
www.organ-donation-works.org
Do you have any articles orpictures that you would liketo submit for the newsletter?
If so, please forward to Rosie McHugh
at [email protected]. The deadline
for items for our next edition is August 4,
2009. Please forward articles in Word
Format (300 word limit) and pictures
as high resolution JPEG files.
Erin Vaters wants to travel 16,000km from home this summer on the trip of a lifetime. Less than two years ago, anunscheduled and more arduous journey to Toronto gave her the chance.
The Lower Sackville girl received a newheart on October 17, 2007 in a five houroperation at the Hospital for Sick Childrenthat saved her life. Now she’s planning toparticipate in the 17th World TransplantGames at the Gold Coast, Australia.
“It would mean a lot to me to go andcompete because I can be competitive and I love sports”, said the 13-year-old who isentered in badminton singles, and the 50mfreestyle and breaststroke swimming events.
It will also mean a lot to Erin’s parents, Pauland Christine, who endured a rollercoasterride of emotions that began 19 months agowhen they learned their daughter was in the latter stages of heart failure. Erin, agrade 7 student, had been diagnosed with a muscular condition as a two year old afterher parents noticed she wasn’t as strong asother toddlers and a bit clumsy. They weretold that she would never excel in sportsand would learn to compensate for herweaknesses as she got older. For the mostpart, this turned out to be true. Her gym
teachers included her in activities, mindful of her shortcomings, and she developed a love of sports.
It was in October of 2007 that Erin beganhaving chest pains and trouble breathing.Her parents, who thought she was sufferingfrom a cold/flu, were stunned to learn thatshe was suffering from heart failure, a seriouscondition that occurs when the muscle isn’table to pump blood normally. Two dayslater, her health worsening, Erin was airliftedto Toronto where her parents were dealt thedevastating news that their daughter wouldnot survive without a transplant.
Then just as suddenly, another
family’s tragedy became the
Vaters’ salvation. Hours after
Erin learned of her dire situation,
a teenage boy on the same floor
succumbed to the injuries he had
sustained in an accident and his
parents made the decision to
donate his organs. His heart
was a perfect match for Erin.
Seven days later Erin walked out of the hospital and after two months inphysiotherapy at SickKids, she was homefor Christmas, ready to return to school and
play the sports she’d developed a particularinterest in before her health deteriorated.
It wasn’t until after her transplant that testsdone in Halifax revealed that her childhoodtroubles and damage to her heart werecaused by a type of muscular dystrophy.“When we see her going to school with her friends, having her sleepovers, playingbadminton, swimming we are so thankfulthat we still have her”, Paul Vaters said. “If it weren’t for people that unselfishlysigned their donor cards, she may not be with us today because we came prettyclose to losing her and the only thing that saved her was an organ donation.”
Erin who remembers her ordeal being“scary at times” said she is more active since the transplant and has considerablemore energy. She still makes trips to thehospital for follow-up care and will be onanti-rejection medication for the rest of herlife, but she is excited about the prospect of competing in the World Transplant Games in Australia.
Heart of a ChampionAdapted from an article from the Halifax Chronicle Herald