Summer 2009 - British Columbia Transplant Society

A BC Transplant publication
Summer 2009
Transplant Ti m e s
Innovative
Research
in BC p. 6

On The
In s i d e
DOMINO TRANSPLANT
3 Canadian cities
Domino Transplant
•
Donation after Cardiac Death
•
Cover: Betterbiomarkers Study
•
BC Transplant Research Foundation
•
37 years—one kidney transplant
•
Events
www.transplant.bc.ca
The Transplant Times
is published twice a year by the
Communications Department
of BC Transplant.
Editor
Allison Colina
Assistant Editor
Ken Donohue
On June 24 th the first multiple province domino kidney transplant
including was performed in Canada. Hospitals in Vancouver,
Edmonton and Toronto simultaneously removed kidneys from living
donors and performed a total of four transplants.
An altruistic living kidney donor (a person willing to donate a kidney
to someone they don’t know) was matched with a patient in need of
a kidney transplant who has a willing but incompatible living donor.
The incompatible donor then donated to another patient in need
of a transplant who had a willing but incompatible donor, and so
the chain continued until the last ‘incompatible’ donor’s kidney was
donated to the person at the top of the deceased donor waiting list.
In this first Canadian wide ‘domino’ transplant, four people received a
transplant—three of those people had an incompatible living donor,
the fourth was at the top of the lengthy deceased donor waitlist. This
strategy can trigger a very long chain of transplants by adding more
incompatible donor-recipient pairs.
Incompatible
pair 1
Incompatible
pair 2
Incompatible
pair 3
Donor Donor Donor
The Transplant Times welcomes
submissions and letters.
Altruisitc
living
donor
Recipient
waiting on
deceased
donor list
c/o Editor
West Tower, 3rd Floor
555 West 12th Avenue
Vancouver, BC
V5Z 3X7
(604) 877-2240
1-800-663-6189
e-mail: acolina@bcts.hnet.bc.ca
On The Cover: Sarah Johnston,
heart recipient
Recipient
Recipient
Recipient
In August 2008 Canadian Blood Services (CBS) assumed a National
role in Organ and Tissue Donation—one of the main priorities for
the CBS was to initiate a National Living Donor Paired Exchange
(LDPE) Registry—which launched in February of 2009. At the time
the Registry launched, Dr. Peter Nickerson, Executive Medical
Director of Organ Transplantation at Canadian Blood Services said,
“The Living Donor Paired Exchange Registry is a major advance for
Page 2 Transplant Times 2009

organ donation
kidney donations and transplants in
this country. Creating a centralized
registry such as this gives us critical
mass, greatly increases the chances
of finding suitable matches, and more
living donors will have their wishes
fulfilled. Canadians in need will now
be able to get compatible kidneys
faster, and that will save lives.”
The cross Canada domino transplant
on June 24 th was the first resulting
from the newly formed Living Donor
Paired Exchange Registry in Canada.
As more transplant programs across
the country begin to participate in
the Registry, the donor pool will grow,
allowing for more large scale kidney
exchanges and domino transplants.
How are pairs entered into the
Living Donor Paired Exchange
Registry?
If the blood tests indicate that the
recipient and donor do not match,
they are considered an incompatible
pair. This means that the donor’s
blood type is not compatible
with the recipient’s blood type.
If the ‘incompatible’ donor is still
interested in donating a kidney, the
pair can be tested to see if they are
healthy enough to participate in
an exchange. If they qualify, their
medical information is entered into
the LDPE Registry.
Who can donate a kidney through
the LDPE Registry?
Any person in general good health
can potentially donate a kidney and
be entered into the LDPE registry. A
person can enter in as a pair with an
incompatible recipient, or a person
can be entered into the Registry
alone with the intention of donating
a kidney to a stranger (altruistic
donor). TT
Donation After
Cardiac Death
By Michael Williams
freelance writer
Last November, St. Paul’s
Hospital in Vancouver quietly became
the first in BC to implement a procedure
for organ retrieval that could
considerably increase the number of
life-prolonging transplants.
The procedure, known as donation
after cardio circulatory death,
or DCD, involves the removal of life
support from patients where death is
imminent. With the blessing of family
members, the assisted-breathing device
and other life support is removed
and, after the heart stops beating and
two physicians from the ICU certify
the patient has died, organ retrieval
begins within minutes.
Rigorous protocols had been
put in place at St. Paul’s; experience
from other hospitals worldwide, including
ones in Ontario and Quebec,
thoroughly analysed. The intensivecare
unit (ICU) and the transplant
team— keenly aware of each other’s
very separate, but nonetheless interwoven,
responsibilities —were set.
The implementation date for
the DCD protocols was Nov. 1 and the
preliminary estimate was that three
such procedures would be carried out
in the first year. Within a month, that
number had already been reached.
The following looks at the
re-emergence of DCD and the procedure’s
inherent medical and ethical
dilemmas.
--------
In their book, The Ethics of Organ
Transplants, Arthur Caplan and
Daniel Coelho say in the opening
chapter: “The boundaries of life and
death are not as clear today as in
the past.”
That observation remains
every bit as relevant more than a
decade after the book’s publication.
In 1968—the year of the first heart
transplant in the US and Europe’s
first lung transplant—a special committee
at Harvard University wrote
the definition of brain death—
becoming widely accepted as the
definition of end of life.
Doctors looked for neurological
activity in the brain—essentially
the nervous system. If there
was none, the person was deemed
dead.
If organs met the criteria for
transplantation (assuming that was
the declared wish of the decedent),
they were retrieved.
The concept of brain death
became widely accepted as an
ethical and legal criterion for organ
donation, a practice known as
donation after neurological determination
of death, or DNDD.
However, before the Harvard declaration,
organs were retrieved after
cardiac death, essentially following
the same methods as DCD. The
university’s declaration, later called
the dead-donor rule —seemed, in
hindsight, to have obscured the
concepts surrounding death and
donation.
The debate between
cardiac and brain death began. But
even today the issues are debated
mostly in medical and ethical journals.
Page 3 Transplant Times 2009

donation after cardiac death
In separate interviews, Dr. David
Landsberg, director of renal transplant
at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver,
and Dr. Jeff Zaltzman, his
counterpart at St. Michael’s Hospital
in Toronto, said revisiting DCD as a
means of organ procurement was
driven by the public.
Dr. Landsberg said families
of patients (usually suffering catastrophic
brain injury) were seeking
“an outcome which they felt . . .
gave meaning to that person’s life
and their death.”
The first DCD procedure
in Canada was performed in June,
2006, at the Ottawa Hospital. The
family of a 32-year-old woman,
Sara-Beth Therien, having decided
withdrawal of life support was their
best option, asked doctors to follow
through on her wishes to become a
donor.
At the time, the woman’s
father was quoted as saying DCD
marked “a new era for organ donation
in this wonderful country and
that makes (our daughter) a pioneer.”
Some detractors of DCD
have gone so far as to suggest doctors
caring for patients—usually in
intensive-care—might abandon
efforts to save patients too soon.
Medical personnel stress, though,
that the aim of all doctors is to extend
life—not cut it short as a convenience.
Dr. Landsberg is among
those and says it’s important people
realize the clear-cut and separate
obligations of the attending physician
and the transplant team.
“We’re not involved in any
of the discussions with the family
about life support or its withdrawal.
It’s only when they (the ICU team
and the family) have made the
decision to withdraw life support is
there even a consideration whether
that person is a candidate for DCD.”
He underscores the point that withdrawing
life support is a decision
made in the interests of the patient
and family.
“Regardless of DCD or no
DCD, withdrawal of life support is
what’s going to happen. The decision
is made regardless of whether
that person is going to be an organ
donor.
“We [the transplant team],
ethically, legally and morally will not
be involved until the patient has
actually died.”
One concern mentioned
by some detractors of DCD is the
administering of drugs that, while
not of any help to the patient, are
intended to preserve organs. For
example, an anti-clotting medication
could be injected. That decision
must be made by the ICU physician
and not the transplant team.
Dr. Landsberg says such
medications are not administered
until the withdrawal of life support
at St. Paul’s, while Dr. Zaltzman says
St. Michael’s has administered anticlotting
drugs just prior to withdrawal.
Dr. Zaltzman says ICU doctors
might also decide to administer
so-called “comfort measures,”
such as morphine for pain. “These
(measures) have the possibility to
hasten death,” he said, “but they are
exercised for comfort; not with the
idea of DCD.”
He admits, though, that
pre-death medications “add a level
of complexity” to an already complex
subject and those arguments
against the administering of such
medications are not “completely
invalid.”
For now, the success of
DCD is reflected in the numbers. By
the beginning of this year, 45 such
procedures had been performed in
Ontario since the first in mid-2006.
Quebec has had limited experience,
with fewer than 10 performed so
far.
During that three-year
period, DCD organs at one point
accounted for 17 per cent of kidney
“The reality is
that ventilators
are being
turned off. Why
would you not
turn that into
a potentially
positive
situation?”
–Dr. David Landsberg
and liver transplants in Ontario.
The figure could one day reach 20
per cent, says Dr. Zaltzman, but he
feels the figure will likely level out
to somewhere around 12 to 13 per
cent; still an impressive number.
Dr. Landsberg says he
feel strongly the public in general
has faith in the medical system.
“I believe most families trust the
medical system,” he says. “They
believe everyone is working [for]
the patient and not looking ahead
to some potential donor.
“Only when it is no longer
in the best interest of the patient
to be maintained on life support
is consideration given to its withdrawal.”
He accentuates, too, that
withdrawal of life support happens
in hospitals around the world every
day.
“The reality is that ventilators
are being turned off. Why
would you not turn that into a
Page 4 Transplant Times 2009

potentially positive situation? I can’t
believe the public believes doctors
are (withdrawing life support)
so the patient can be a donor. Our
focus is to save peoples’ lives; not
end them.”
He wonders whether the
hard questions surrounding withdrawal
of life support are not more
challenging to the medical community
than the general public.
“When breathing has stopped and
the heart has stopped, most people
accept the fact that person is gone.”
The timing between a
patients’ death and the retrieval of
organs has also become an issue
drawing strong opinion. In the US
and parts of Europe, transplant
teams have begun retrieval of
organs as soon as 75 seconds after
pronouncement of death, although
the generally accepted waiting
period seems to be five minutes.
Advocates of DCD support
this approach, referring to a sometimes
disputed claim that no person
has ever revived after losing a heart
beat for more than 60 seconds.
After much deliberation, St. Michael’s
Hospital decided it would
wait 10 minutes after declaration of
death; St. Paul’s Hospital chose five
minutes.
Both of these waiting
periods are far more conservative
than used in other countries and
Dr. Zaltzman would like to see the
10-minute rule now practised at St.
Michael’s Hospital lowered, saying
there is no “scientific merit” in the
extended wait time.
Dr. Landsberg agrees, saying
the difference between two,
five or even 10 minutes is “splitting
hairs.” TT
clinic
Above from left to right: Kathleen Collin (Pharmacist), Dr. Mina Matsuda-Abedini
(Nephrologist), Kelleigh Graham (16-year-old kidney transplant recipient),
Jessie Ahuja (Registered Nurse Clinician)
New Multi-Organ Transplant Clinic at BC
Children’s Hospital Helps Kids and Parents
A
new multi-organ transplant
clinic at BC Children’s
Hospital opened its doors
to pediatric patients and
their family members in January
2009. The clinic provides access to
specialized health care providers
for over 120 BC children who have
received an organ transplant.
“Previously, care for these patients
was provided in a dispersed manner
at the hospital with kidney transplant
recipients being followed in the renal
clinic, and cardiac, liver and bowel
transplant recipients being followed
in their respective clinics,” said Dr.
Douglas Matsell, division head of
nephrology and the multi-organ
transplant clinic at BC Children’s
Hospital. “Patients are now seen by
a specialist and interdisciplinary
team members on the same visit so
there is an opportunity for urgent
consultations to occur should any
complications be discovered.”
Carmen Carriere, mother of a heart
transplant recipient, worked at
educating the BC Ministry of Health
Services on the challenges faced
by pediatric transplant patients,
and advocating for this cohesive
transplant clinic at BC Children’s
Hospital. “Children who have had
a transplant still face a number
of issues. It’s incredibly important
to have a clinic like the one at BC
Children’s to provide on-going care,”
said Carriere, whose daughter Brynn
McKenna, is a seven-year-old heart
transplant patient.
The clinic addresses the most urgent
needs and ongoing management
of patients who have had a kidney,
heart, liver or bowel transplant. The
multi-organ transplant clinic was
made possible through $288,000 in
annual funding from the Ministry of
Health Services through the PHSA
and BC Transplant. In addition to
being followed by their specialized
transplant physician the clinic will
also provide patients with access
to expanded nursing, pharmacist,
social work, dietitian and psychology
support. TT
Page 5 Transplant Times 2009

Biopsies, soon to be a thing of the past?
by Jenny Boon
on the cover
Below: Sarah Johnston with husband Luke Johnston
In 2005, a young BC family
was thrown into crisis. Sarah
Johnston, a wife and mother of
three, was rushed to the Heart
Centre, part of the Providence
Heart + Lung Institute at St. Paul’s
Hospital, with an infection of the
heart known as myocarditis. The
infection was extremely severe, and
did not respond to therapy—doctors
decided to implant a Ventricular
Assist Device (VAD) in Johnston’s
heart. She was put on the transplant
list, and eventually underwent a
successful heart transplant.
As part of her post-transplantation
monitoring, Johnston had to
undergo numerous painful biopsies
in the year after her surgery. A few
weeks after her operation, these
biopsies indicated her body was
rejecting the new heart. Her regime
of immunosuppressant drugs had
to be increased, and more biopsies
were required.
Transplantation is currently the
most common therapy for
patients with end-stage
organ failure. However,
like Johnston, many
t r a n s p l a n t p a t i e n t s
experience rejection
that must be treated
with large doses of toxic
immunosuppressant
drugs.
Given that a single heart
biopsy in Canada costs
somewhere between five
to ten thousand dollars—
and that the average heart
transplant recipient will need
between 14 and 16 of these invasive
procedures in the first year alone—a
group of scientists has joined together
in an innovative research project that
harnesses the power of biomarkers
to find a better way to diagnose
organ rejection before it begins, and
to one day give doctors the tools to
personalize immunosuppressant
therapy for each individual patient.
The Biomarkers in Transplantation
project aims to identify biomarkers
in the blood that will tell a doctor
immediately if a transplanted
organ is being rejected, using a
simple blood test. The project has
two immediate goals: the first is
to decrease the number of times
a transplant patient will have to
undergo painful, expensive biopsies.
The second goal is to reduce health
care costs: the estimated cost savings
of using biomarkers to identify
early organ rejection is estimated
at several million dollars a year in
Canada for heart transplants alone.
By replacing some biopsies with a
blood test, health care costs will be
significantly decreased for heart and
kidney transplant patients across the
board.
Biomarkers in Transplantation
was launched in 2004, when an
investigative team of researchers
began studying advanced genomic
(study of genes), proteomic (study
of proteins), and bioinformatic
(information science) tools to
better understand variations in
acute or chronic tissue rejection in
heart, liver, and kidney transplant
patients. The study involves many
of Canada’s foremost experts in
clinical transplantation, immunology,
pathology, biochemistry, statistics
and computer science, who are
using the most advanced genomic,
proteomic and bioinformatic tools
to develop inexpensive, noninvasive
and accurate diagnostic and
prognostic tests for organ rejection
and immunosuppressive therapy
responsiveness.
After four years of study, the team
has now identified sets of genes and
proteins in the blood that diagnose
acute rejection in the first few weeks
after transplantation and chronic
rejection beyond one year after
transplantation. Team members
have also identified a set of blood
biomarkers that can predict organ
rejection; this set could be used
to allow doctors to adjust drug
therapies to prevent graft injury and
avoid toxicity.
Biomarkers in Transplantation is now
entering its second phase, a Canadawide
study of transplant patients
that will allow scientists to test these
biomarker panels in a more diverse
group of patients with heart and
Page 6 Transplant Times 2009

kidney transplants. This next phase of
the study will run for two years, and
will hopefully culminate with Health
Canada and the US FDA approving
the test for use in clinical care.
On May 26, 2009, Johnston joined
members of the Biomarkers in
Transplantation team for the official
launch of the second phase of the
Biomarkers in Transplantation Project,
which took place at the PROOF
Centre for Excellence 2 nd Annual
Meeting in Vancouver. The event—
which attracted significant media
coverage – was an opportunity for
Johnston to share her story, and also
thank the doctors and researchers for
their work.
“It’s exciting for me to be here for
the launch of the Better Biomarkers
in Transplantation project, especially
since I’ve been through so many
biopsies. The thought that other
people will only need a blood test,
rather than going through the pain
of multiple biopsies, is inspiring.
I’m so thankful to the doctors and
researchers at St. Paul’s—they saved
my life and continue to work and
study to improve other people’s lives.
My husband, my three kids and I are
so grateful for this new heart and the
life it has given me. My hope is that
future transplant recipients will have
a chance at an easier road to recovery
after their surgery, and I think this
project will help achieve that.”
The Biomarkers in Transplantation
initiative is currently supported
by the Prevention of Organ Failure
Centre of Excellence (PROOF Centre;
a Networks of Centres of Excellence
program), Genome British Columbia,
Astellas Pharma, St. Paul’s Hospital
Foundation, BC Transplant and the
University of British Columbia. For
more information on the project, visit
www.allomark.ubc.ca TT
jesse pratt memorial ride
Over 130 people
took part in a
memorial ride on
Sunday, May 24 th
at the Mountain View Harley
Davidson in Chilliwack,
organized by Grant Pratt and
his family, to honour his
young son’s memory and
to raise awareness about
organ donation.
Eighteen year old Jesse
Pratt’s life came to a tragic
end last May after a terrible
motorcycle accident on
the Trans-Canada highway.
Jesse was living his dream,
riding a brand new Harley
Davidson Fat Boy on his way
to Hell’s Gate with his father.
Jesse’s generous spirit in
life continued with the altruistic gift of organ donation after his death. Six
individuals received a new lease on life as a result of his donation.
Jesse’s family set up a Facebook site in his memory, and on it they state, “Jesse
was the most amazing guy anyone could ever know. He had the biggest heart
and always put others before himself, no matter what the issue.”
The 1 st Jesse Pratt Memorial Ride will now be an annual event to remember
Jesse for the remarkable young man he was. Money raised from the ride
totaled over $2,100, which the family has kindly donated to the BC Transplant
Research Foundation. TT
Page 7 Transplant Times 2009

RESEARCH FOUNDATION
T h e B C
Tr a n s p l a n t
R e s e a r c h
Foundation
recently
w e l c o m e d
Pamela Scott
as Executive
Pamela Scott
D i re c tor, a
newly created
position for the Foundation.
Pamela Scott began her career
in Pittsburgh after completing
her Masters degree in Public
Administration and International
Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh.
Scott continued on at the University,
working as a Community Relations
Specialist, bridging the medical
department with members of the
public to help identify research
subjects. Through her experience
working with the University,
Scott developed a familiarity with
research, and today is still inspired
by researchers.
Throughout her distinguished career,
Scott has been closely tied to the
non-profit sector. While working in
Illinois, Scott was appointed to the
State Public Advocacy Committee. In
that role she lobbied to have organ
donor decals placed on the driver’s
license. Through her work with the
Governors office the legislation
passed—a major success. Scott
has committed a large amount
of time to her volunteer career
within the non-profit community,
serving as a member and executive
leader on numerous boards. For the
past 10 years she has worked with
Foundations in Connecticut as a
fundraiser, with a wonderful history
of success—she has a love of seeking
funds.
With over 20 years experience
working in government relations and
fundraising, Scott brings a wealth of
information and leadership to the
BC Transplant Research Foundation.
As the Executive Director, Scott will
focus on the development of a long
term funding strategy and the ability
to support more research projects.
HONOR your loved one.
Flowers wilt
Balloons loose air
A donation to the BC Transplant
Research Foundation will have
ever-lasting benefits for the
health of transplant patients.
www.transplant.bc.ca/BCTRF.htm
Brighten the spirit of your loved
one while they stay in hospital—
consider making a donation
to the BC Transplant Research
Foundation. Your friend or loved
one will receive a card letting
them know you made a donation
in their name. Research inspires
better health for the future. Visit
the website and make a donation
today!
he BC Transplant Research
Foundation’s (BCTRF) mission
is to promote peer reviewed
research into solutions which
will benefit British Columbians
whose lives are threatened by organ
failure.
All of the research funded through
the BCTRF is peer-reviewed. Before
a research proposal receives funds
a panel of experts from across N.
America reviews the proposal. The
Michael Smith Foundation facilitates
the BCTRF peer review process. The
BCTRF funds research through two
processes:
1. Venture Grants— h e l p i n g
to support new, high-risk/highreward
research ideas identified
by investigators across BC. This will
fund new areas of research (e.g.,
new hypotheses, new techniques,
and new ideas) that are in a pilot/
feasibility stage.
2. Peer Reviewed Research—Fund
new research by providing ‘seed’
money to researchers, which allows
them to secure remaining funds from
larger donors.
In order to fund research and further
improve the lives of transplant
patients in BC, the Foundation needs
to secure monetary donations. As
Executive Director of the BCTRF,
Pamela Scott will be developing
relationships and creating a plan to
increase fundraising activities for the
Foundation. TT
Page 8 Transplant Times 2009

the only child in the dialysis room.
I waited to recover from the
kidney removal surgery before the
transplant could take place (the kidneys
are no longer removed before
a transplant unless they are cancerous
or infected).
The big day was April 28,
1972. My dad, lying on a stretcher
waiting for surgery to have his kidney
removed, smiled and squeezed
my hand as we passed in the hall—
not knowing if I’d even survive the
surgery.
It was an all day surgery,
but I pulled through. I managed to
escape falling into a coma in Recovery.
A small fridge was brought
to my room and I was allowed to
eat whatever I wanted! I had to gain
weight. I asked for Bologna sandwiches,
hotdogs, ice cream and
Jeannie’s cake (it’s a famous bakery
in Winnipeg)! I wanted everything
I hadn’t been allowed to eat on the
restrictive pre transplant diet.
After four months living in
a hospital room, I went home. I was
even able to finish grade 3.
The kidney has been working
great ever since.
The transplant brought
new opportunities—I was a part
of one of the first groups to attend
Kidney Camp, it was held in BC with
kids from all across Canada. I also
rode on a float for organ transplant
kids the year the Grey Cup was in
Winnipeg.
In 1980 I found out I had a
cancerous tumor. The cancer treatyears
later
by Teresa Zahirney37
I received a live donor kidney
transplant in Winnipeg in 1972.
From the time I was 5 years
old, I remember being on a high
protein, no salt diet, but that wasn’t
enough. It was just before Valentine’s
Day in 1972 when I was hospitalized
with chronic renal failure—I
was 7 years old. I was started on
peritoneal dialysis and was too sick
to leave the hospital. The hospital
room would become my home for
the next three months.
I celebrated my 8 th birthday
in the hospital. They allowed my
sister, brother, and a cousin to come
in. I wasn’t allowed to have even a
sliver of my own cake. The staff at
my dad’s school had brought me
so many gifts, filling a drawer in my
dresser. Each day I was allowed to
open one.
I was allowed to go home
on Sunday afternoons if my blood
pressure was okay—I usually ended
up asleep on the living room couch.
I needed a new kidney to survive.
Family members were
tested for suitability as a kidney donor.
There were many discussions
as to where the transplant would
take place—Boston? Toronto? Living
kidney donation was brand new
in Winnipeg at that time.
It was decided that a team
of doctors from Winnipeg would
do the transplant. My dad was the
best match. First was the surgery
to remove my two kidneys, then
hemodialysis—the machines back
then were big and scary for an
eight year old. I remember being
ments were successful, and since
then, aside from regular 3 month
check ups at the transplant clinic,
my life is fairly normal. I went to
the University of Manitoba and
graduated with a Bachelor of
Education in 1987. I now reside in a
small town—Yahk, BC.
Living over 30 years with
a transplant—I have met a lot of
young people over the years that
have gone through the transplant
experience. Some are doing well.
Some didn’t make it.
I chose to write this for
the summer issue for one special
reason—to say thank you to my
dad for giving me a second chance
to live. Thank you for giving me
life, for allowing me to grow, make
mistakes along the way, for loving
me and making me the person I am
today. TT
Who are the living
donors in BC?
Sibling 34%
Unrelated (friends,etc.) 16%
Parent 16%
Spouse 16%
Offspring 12%
Related 6%
Page 9 Transplant Times 2009

Canadian Transplant Association
The Canadian Transplant Associatin (CTA) encourages and
motivates transplant recipients to maintain a healthy lifestyle
by supporting athletic and other awareness events
WORLD TRANSPLANT GAMES
The 17th World Transplant Games (the Olympics of the
transplant world) will take place Aug. 22-30th on the
Gold Coast in Australia. The Canadian team is 148 strong
and consists of 48 athletes (22 juniors/ 26 adults) and 100
supporters. Six British Columbians are attending: Angela
Burghard (kidney), Aron Cleugh (kidney/pancreas),
Dick Lingham (liver), Marvin Meissner (kidney), Robbie
Thorton (heart) and Margaret Benson (double lung).
They hope to make BC proud and come home with a few
medals.
NATIONAL TRANSPLANT GAMES 2010
The 5th Canadian Transplant Games will take place in
Quebec City, August 9-14th, 2010
Check out the Canadian Transplant Association’s website:
www.organ-donation-works.org
HALLOWEEN DANCE
Save the date! Friday, Oct.23rd is the BC CTA’s annual
Halloween dance. Party begins at 7:30pm. There will be
a raffle, door prizes, spot dances, best costume contests
and more. Come join the fun and at the same time help
promote organ donation, transplantation and healthy,
active living for recipients. For more information or if
you would like to volunteer contact Margaret Benson at
winniethepooh@telus.net
SUN RUN
The Gift of Life Organ Donation Works Sun Run team
had another successful run on April 19th 2009. Thirtyfive
friends and family registered for the team which
included 11 recipients and one living donor. One team
member, Cheryl Nilsson (double lung recipient) received
local and national coverage on Global TV. Look for our
team again next year and come join the fun. Registration
begins in January and the Run is always the first Sunday
of National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week
(NOTDAW)
For more information, or to join the CTA visit
www.organ-donation-works.org
or contact Margaret at winniethepooh@telus.net
yess
Kidney Disease Patients & Supporters
In association with the Kidney Foundation
of Canada BC Branch
Dear Renal Patients and Supporters,
My name is Ada and I have been a kidney patient for over 23
years. Currently, I am a volunteer with The Kidney Foundation
of Canada (BC Branch) working to establish a support
group for kidney patients in Metro Vancouver called “yess”.
The magic of a support group is that participants will receive
mutual support from each other and by attending educational
seminars, fun social activities, and by sharing their feelings.
Some of you may cope with the disease quite well on
your own and may not need further support; or you
may be a renal health provider, or a patient’s friend or
a family member. But, if you agree with me that “yess”
can help to reduce stress or fear and uplift the spirit
of kidney patients, then please join us to help others.
A formal social gathering will be planned for September
to meet all who are interested. At this gathering, we can
express our mutual concerns, and set our goals - such as how
to help each other, how to promote organ donation and
how to plan the future of “yess”. Meanwhile, you are most
welcome to contact me any time by email or by phone to add
your comments and suggestions for this support group.
Please pass along this message to your f r iends
or other individuals who may be interested in “yess”.
Thank you very much for your support. Please contact me
for further details.
Ada Cheung - coordinator of “yess”
Tel: 604-351-0880
Email: yess2009@live.ca
Page 10 Transplant Times 2009

T-Shirts $15
Order a t-shirt today!
Please contact BC Transplant by email:
info@transplant.bc.ca or by tel: 604-877-2240
T-shirts are $15 each and available in all sizes:
xs, s, m, l, xl
October 25 th 2009
Join BC Transplant and people all over the world in the
“World’s Biggest Walk” to raise global awareness for
organ donation and transplantation. In cities all over the
world people will walk 5KM at noon.
Register Today at www.transplant.bc.ca
October 25th
Locarno Beach, Vancouver
12 PM
front
The Children’s Organ
Transplant Society of BC
and
The Heart Transplant
Home Society
present
4th Annual Golf Tournament
Date: September 12, 2009
Where: Country Meadows Golf Club, Richmond BC
Sponsorship opportunities available
back
The golf tournament begins at 1pm with a shot gun
start. To participate in the golf tournament & help raise
much needed funds for transplant children in BC and
accommodation for heart transplant patients please
contact:
Debbie: 604-271-7719 dbielech@cotsbc.org
Ron Bayne 778-237-5311 ronbayne@hotmail.com
Page 11 Transplant Times 2009

Just the Facts
Number on the Organ Donor Registry 718,972
Special Thanks
Number of people waiting for a transplant 307
Number of transplants to date in 2009 120
Kidney (deceased donor) 39
Kidney (living donor) 44
Pancreas-Kidney 1
Pancreas Islet 4
Pancreas 4
Liver (deceased donor) 16
Liver (living donor) -
Heart 5
Single-Lung 6
Double-Lung 1
Number of recipients followed in BC 2863
Don’t keep us in the dark
Have you moved?
Name__________________________________________________
New Address____________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
The following individuals and
organizations have made a
significant impact on organ
donor awareness through
volunteer work, and/or
fundraising activities
City of Langley
Township of Langley
City of Vernon
BC Children’s Hospital
BC Women’s Hospital
Sunny Hill Hospital
BC Child & Family Research
Institute
Chris & Gillian Stringer
Joscelyn McCarthy
Serge Vaillancourt
Pratt Family
Mountainview Harley Davidson
No, I don’t want to receive future copies of the Transplant Times
Name________________________________________________________
Address_______________________________________________________
555 W. 12th Ave • Vancouver, BC • V5Z 3X7 • 1-800 663-6189
If you would like to receive future copies of the
Transplant Times electronically, via e-mail, please respond to
info@transplant.bc.ca
Page 12 Transplant Times 2009