#83: The Stories, Science and Ethics of Organ Donation

About 90% of Canadians say they support organ and tissue donation but less than 20% have made plans to donate. To tackle this discrepancy, Nova Scotia is set to become the first province in the country to have presumed consent for organ and tissue donation beginning in 2021. In this episode of Raw Talk, we speak to Jed Gross about the opt-in/opt-out systems, the ethical dilemmas of organ allocation and more. Next, we hear from Myles Lynch and Maariyah Rahman, who are alive today because of the organ donations they have received. We also had the opportunity to speak with Jillian Lynch, Myles' sister, who has been a huge advocate for organ donation, and a caregiver to her brother. Dr. Shafique Keshavjee, the Surgeon-in-Chief at University Health Network, discusses the science of organ transplant and cutting edge research that is causing the field to evolve very quickly, improving the life expectancy for many people like Myles who needed new lungs, and Maariyah who found out her heart suddenly began to fail when she was only 20 years old. Finally Dr. Istvan Mucsi, speaks to us about the important role of ethnicity, culture and religion in organ donation. We hope this episode exposes the remarkable feats and challenging realities of organ donation and transplantation today.

Written by: Claire Mazzia

The Organ Project
Organ and Tissue Donation Canada
Organ and Tissue Donation Ontario - Register to be a donor
Trillium Gift of Life