The Huron-Perth Healthcare Alliance has launched an education campaign to raise awareness of the need and benefits of organ and tissue donations.
Dr. Tyler Rouse, the co-chair of HPHA’s Organ & Tissue Donation Committee, said one of the comments he hears often when speaking to seniors groups is that they're too old to donate organs. But he said that's not the case.
"They're able to recover organs from people of all ages now, up to a certain point, depending on the organ, but the ages are much higher than they used to be and things like eyes where you can give the gift of sight and other types of tissues, there's almost no limit," he said.
Doctor Rouse added that even he was surprised to learn how many people can be affected by organ and tissue donations.
"A single donor can save the lives of up to eight people, so that's all the different organs in the body, heart, lungs, kidneys, pancreas. And then up to 75 people can be affected by a single donor, based on the tissues and that things like skin to treat burn victims," he said.
Doctor Rouse said becoming a donor is now very easy. People can go on the beadonor.ca website and all they need is their health card to fill out the registration and become a donor. He added it's much easier to make the decision and discuss it with family members now than it is in the midst of a crisis later.
