Spring has finally arrived! In addition to longer, sunnier days, today marks the first of many opportunities to celebrate and advocate for organ donation.

April is Be A Donor Month - a great opportunity to register (or check that you are registered) as an organ donor, tell your family (or remind them) your wishes, and inspire others to become donors themselves. It's also a good reminder to book your next appointment to donate blood, and to share stories and information about living organ donation. Half of the kidney transplants and nearly a third of the liver transplants performed at Toronto General are made possible by living donors - so let's not forget to celebrate them this month!

How you can take part: Tell us what Be A Donor Month means to you!

April 7 is Green Shirt Day, a day of organ donation awareness in honour of Logan Boulet. Logan became an organ donor in 2018 after he was injured in the tragic Humboldt Broncos bus crash. Logan inspired hundreds of thousands of Canadians to register as organ donors, resulting in an unprecedented increase in donor registration, a movement that came to be known as the Logan Boulet Effect.

How you can take part: Wear green and post a selfie on April 7 to celebrate Logan's memory and encourage others to register as organ donors. Tag us and use the hashtags #GreenShirtDay #LoganBouletEffect #TogetherStrong 

April 18 - 24 is National Organ & Tissue Donation Awareness Week (NOTDAW) a week long celebration of organ and tissue donation. For us, NOTDAW is also an opportunity to celebrate the innovation, research and teamwork that makes our program a leader in transplantation and living organ donation. 

How you can take part: Attend the Complexity of Creating a Culture of Organ Donation & Transplantation for a discussion on the intersections of individual, interpersonal, and societal contexts surrounding organ donation and transplantation.

Finally, be sure to keep up with us on social media for other interesting events and opportunities (and an upcoming living donation milestone!) throughout the month. Follow us (if you don't already) and tag us in any of your April organ donation related activities!  

Happy #BeADonor Month!

The Centre Team

What's New

Green Shirt Day Comes to the Living Transplant Podcast
Toby and Bernadine Boulet, the parents of Logan Boulet, join our hosts to discuss how Logan arrived at the idea of organ donation, saying goodbye at the hospital, and how they keep memories of Logan alive today. Also in this episode: how and why you should have the conversation about organ donation, and how to get involved in Green Shirt Day 2021.

Tell us what #BeADonor Month means to you
Be A Donor Month brings together members of the transplant and organ donation community from across the country. We want to know what Be A Donor Month means to you - whether you're a transplant recipient, a family member of an organ donor, a living donor, or a registered organ donor. Tell us what does Be A Donor Month means you and we'll share your message on social media to inspire others to explore organ donation.

#HeartTheTeam All Year Long
Thank you everyone who contributed to #Hearttheteam! Since our transplant team appreciation campaign was such a success, we've decided to run it year round. If you have nominations of transplant team members who stood out to you during your transplant experience, let us know! We'd love to show them some appreciation for their hard work and dedication. 

Changes to the Program Reimbursing Expenses of Living Organ Donors (PRELOD)
As of April 1, 2021 PRELOD offers an increased maximum allowance for eligible expenses, an inclusion of reimbursement for post-surgery follow-up, increased support for companions of living donors, and more. 

In Case You Missed It

On March 29, the Ajmera Transplant Centre and the Centre for Living Organ Donation at UHN hosted the second COVID-19 Vaccine Q&A to address questions about vaccine safety and efficacy in transplant recipients and the concerns of the wider transplant community.
 
A big thank you to our speakers - Dr. Deepali Kumar, Dr. Cecilia Chaparro and Andrea Norgate - for their continued dedication to providing excellent care in these uncertain times. And of course, thank you to our sponsor, Astellas Pharma Canada Inc., and to the Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation for their continued support. 
 
Transplant recipients are now eligible to register for the COVID-19 vaccine as part of the vaccine rollout phase 2. Click here to register. The Ministry of Health has recommended that transplant recipients receive their vaccine doses at an interval of 3 weeks as per manufacturer directions. 
 
Next Q&A is on April 26

 
Please note: our second Q&A was recorded Monday, March 29, 1 p.m. EST. For latest guidance on AstraZeneca and other vaccines please visit the National Advisory Committee on Immunization website.
 
Clips from the COVID-19 Vaccine Q&A #1 (February 22, 2021) are available in multiple languages on our YouTube channel.
Dr. Sunita Singh, Medical Director of the Live Donor Kidney Transplant Program, presents on Diabetes and Kidney disease. Following Dr. Singh, Andrea Norgate, Kidney/Pancreas/Islet Transplant Coordinator and non-directed living kidney donor, presents on pancreas transplantation and share her donor story. 
Dr. Aliya Gulamhusein presents on Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC) symptoms, diagnosis and treatment options. Patient partners, Jacquie Kirvan (living liver donor) and Kate Kirvan (Jacquie's sister-in-law, and liver transplant recipient) share their story. 

Other webinar recordings you might like:
Liver Disease & South Asian Communities in Canada
Polycystic Kidney Disease: Diagnosis & Treatment Options 
Living Kidney Donor Assessment Process

Coming Up

This presentation will name the top five common causes associated with drug-induced liver injuries, as well as provide an overview of early symptoms of drug-induced liver injuries and the recovery process from drug-induced liver injuries.
Sarah Pol and Jia Lin present the aims of the Anthony Lab’s organ donation and transplantation research program, illustrating key findings and next steps of the lab's qualitative research projects including Family Veto, Crowdfunding and Health Equity, and discussing the complexity and intersections of individual, interpersonal and societal contexts surrounding organ donation and transplantation.

Ongoing Education Session 
Free online sessions presented by Heather Lannon, Outreach Coordinator, Centre for Living Organ Donation
 

Patient Library Corner

Howl the Owl
 
Created by Brenda Cortez, the Howl the Owl book series follows the character of Howl as he learns about organ donation and transplant. Cortez, herself a living kidney donor, started the series as a resource for parents who need to explain transplant and organ donation to young children. Topics range from organ failure, dialysis, living donation, death and organ donation, and life after transplant. The series is available at the patient library.  

Looking for latest, updated information on COVID-19?
Visit our COVID-19 Patients and Family Resources website.
 
NEW topic added! What to Expect After Being Vaccinated? Learn about protecting yourself and others after being vaccinated and how to manage possible COVID-19 vaccine side effects. 

Get Instant Access to free health E-Books, Audio-Books, and Videos  
  • Download and open the free Libby app  
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  • Sign in using this campaign code: uhnsummer21 

Follow the Centre for Living Organ Donation on social media to stay up to date

The Centre for Living Organ Donation at UHN
Toronto General Hospital
585 University Ave., 11PMB 100, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2N2 Canada
livingorgandonation@uhn.ca 
416-340-5400
www.livingorgandonation.ca   

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