The Kidney Foundation of Canada’s B.C. and Yukon branch presented Creston’s Service BC staff with a Community Leadership Award Sept. 30 for their dedication and support of organ donation. Since the B.C. government’s Organ Donor Awareness Program — a partnership between Service BC and BC Transplant — started in April, the community has registered 41 new organ donors.
“I am excited about the increase in registrations and confident we can do even better,” said government agent Garry Fuhr at the presentation. “The decision to register as an organ donor can mean a second chance at life for multiple individuals — quite possibly a fellow community member.”
Right now, 500 people in B.C. are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, and while 95 per cent of British Columbians say they support organ donation, only 19 per cent are on B.C.’s organ donor registry.