Surge in B.C. organ donor registrations could save thousands of lives
Posted April 12, 2019 11:37 am.
Last Updated April 12, 2019 11:40 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The huge increase in the number of people willing to be organ donors because of the recent “Green Shirt Day” could help hundreds of people in need of life-saving surgery.
There are currently about 700 people waiting for a transplant in B.C.
Leanne Appleton with BC Transplant says thousands of people have signed up because of the attention given to the case of a Humboldt Broncos player, but she hopes the momentum doesn’t fade.
“We would like every day to be ‘Green Shirt Day’ and really have British Columbians take action to register and have that discussion with their families. We’re hoping that this is just not about one day or one week.”
RELATED: More than 3,000 people in B.C. register to become organ donors following Green Shirt Day
The Broncos’ Logan Boulet died in last year’s horrific bus crash in Saskatchewan. He signed up to be an donor a year before his death and his his organs helped six other people stay alive.
“If you do register, you could save up to eight lives,” Appleton said.
She says it only takes two minutes to register as an organ donor, and you can do so online.
“You just need your personal health number. It asks you a few questions and you’ll be done within two minutes — literally.”
Over 3,300 people have registered online in the past five days. On a typical day, BC Transplant would only see about 40 or 50 registrations.
Appleton adds there have also been registration events in the community and various workplaces. The numbers for those registrations are expected to be tallied in the coming weeks.
