Ann Stampfl vividly recalls the last time she spoke to her mom, Barbara. It was in June 2007. Ann had just called her mom in Salmon Arm to chat. "I knew right away something was wrong," Ann said. Her normally upbeat mom was having trouble speaking. "The last words she said was, 'I have a headache.'"
After those words the elder Stampfl collapsed and was taken to Kelowna for treatment unavailable in the smaller B.C. city. As the worst scenario played out and Barbara was declared brain dead, the family was given the option to donate their loved one's organs for transplant.
The decision is one that must be made quickly after brain death happens. And because Barbara had not signed a donor contract, the family had to give their permission for the B.C. Transplant team to proceed.
While it's not a decision any of us want to make, the need is critical in B.C. Right now there are over 300 people waiting for organ transplants in our province and hundreds more needing corneal transplants.
Ann explained that the family had the final say in what organs would be donated. Literature supplied by B.C. Transplant puts many worries to rest for those thinking of making this ultimate gift. The body is treated with utmost respect and released to the family in a timely fashion. It's then possible for the family to go ahead with whatever arrangements they plan, including an open-casket funeral if desired.
Many recipients send letters of thanks to the donor families. However, Ann said, sometimes the recipients feel enormous guilt that their good health came about from tragic circumstances.
Each year B.C. Transplant holds a ceremony to honour all donors. Ann attended the event to recognize 2007 donors last fall. "B.C. Transplant is amazing. It does a fantastic job. All donors were presented with a medal. A couple of recipients spoke. You could be sitting next to a recipient. You've all experienced the same sudden loss, the tears are just flowing. You realize these people really get it. And then you see that it's worthwhile," Ann related.
Speaking as a family member, she wants to reassure anyone who's received an organ that there is joy is seeing another person doing well."We can't change what happened, so don't feel bad," she said.
B.C. Transplant has made a huge difference in many people's lives since the first transplants were done in 1968.
In 2008, 167 kidneys were transplanted (80 from living donors and 87 from deceased donors). Liver transplants were done in 46 cases (two from living donors). Other donations included 19 hearts, one pancreas-kidney, four pancreas, 15 pancreasislet, eight single lung and six double lungs.
What this means is that in 2008, 264 people (adults and children) were given a new lease on life. But many more wait for this ultimate gift. The average wait time for an organ in 2007 varied from a high of five years for a kidney to just over four months for a heart. The kidney statistic is based on a deceased donor where demand is high.
Transplants are cost-effective. The average cost of dialysis treatment for diseased kidneys is $50,000 per year. The one-time cost for a kidney transplant is $20,000 with an additional cost of $6,000 for anti-rejection medications.
There is no age limit for organ donation. Doctors will determine the viability of an organ for transplant. All costs for the donation are borne by B.C. Transplant. Funeral expenses are not covered by B.C. Transplant.
To register as an organ donor, see www.transplant.bc.ca or call 1-800-663-6189. If you make the decision now, it will be one less thing for your grieving family to deal with. The opportunity to give the gift of life rests with you.
