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| Last updated at 8:58 AM on 08/05/07 |
Flagging attention for a worthy cause 
The recent tip-to-tip walk for organ and tissue donation was a creative way to raise awareness.
EDITORIAL STAFF
The Guardian
Charitable and non-profit groups that rely on community support often have to be creative in coming up with ways to flag public attention to their cause. The recent tip-to-tip walk by a Summerside man trying to raise awareness of the importance of organ and tissue donation was a good example of that.
Brian Ellis, who received a donor kidney last August, set out April 21 from East Point and arrived a week ago last Sunday in Tignish. His goal: to let Islanders know that organs are needed here. While he no longer needs dialysis, other Islanders are awaiting a transplant of organs or tissue.
His initiative was laudable. Along with giving the cause some much-needed media attention, it was a vivid demonstration of how organ recipients, thanks to the generosity of others, can resume normal lives. That’s a hopeful message, and it’s one that should encourage more people to consider registering as a donor.
According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, the national organ donor rate in Canada has stalled for the past 10 years, at about 13 donors per one million people. In 2005, the Canadian Organ Replacement Registry Report indicated that more than 4,000 Canadians waited for an organ transplant while fewer than 2,000 organs were retrieved for transplant. And it’s not just the need for organs that’s a challenge. According to the CIHI, one of every three organs appropriate for transplant is lost because people simply don’t communicate their wishes about organ and tissue donation.
Hopefully initiatives such as Mr. Ellis’ walk will help change the above statistics.
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08/05/07
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