It’s always difficult to have conversations about death, but in some cases, those conversations can save many lives. 

One such instance is discussing the topic of organ and tissue donation. One single donor can end up saving around 80 lives, with five organs and 75 tissues that can be donated. 

For the team at the Human Organ Procurement and Exchange (HOPE) program, this issue is always at the forefront of their message - that the awareness is necessary and the benefits are far reaching. 

Margaret Lidstone is a Registered Nurse through Alberta Health Services and Project Coordinator for Transplant Services in Edmonton. 

Lidstone has worked with HOPE in a variety of roles for over a decade, and said it’s important to start the conversations well before the end of life, even though it’s difficult. 

“We don’t talk about death in our society. It’s something we don’t want to think about, but we do have death and we have patients - over 4500 on the Canadian wait list - and several hundred on the Alberta list - who are waiting for transplants,” Lidstone said. 

“Our messaging is always the same - we want people to know a bit about donation, we want people to talk to their families, and we want people to be aware of the registry that we have in Alberta.”

Lidstone said that the goal in having these conversations is for people to recognize the positive that can come from a tragic situation or unexpected loss, in that their tissues or organs could potentially save someone else. 

She said there is a lot of public consultation and information sharing happening to encourage people to not only register as donors, but to talk to their family members about their wishes.

 As well, these discussions take place in professional atmospheres, for nurses, doctors and other health care workers, but also in places like the department of motor vehicles, because people can sign up to be an organ donor when they register their insurance or change their ID. 

She said that while legally a person’s organs can be donated if they have registered to be a donor, most facilities in Canada will not do so without the permission from next of kin, our of respect for families and loved ones. 

“I don’t think you really get a true understanding until you’re a recipient who has to go through it, or you’re a donor family that has to go through it,” Lidstone said. 

She said people who are recipients are often dealing with a diseased organ or tissue over time, although there are obviously emergencies where people are told they need a transplant right away and don’t have time to fully process that information. 

On the other hand, most donors are born of tragedy and this is partially what leads into having low numbers of registered donors in Alberta.

“It’s a conversation that you have to have at a difficult time with families, but if you have that conversation earlier, and they know what your wishes are, it becomes much easier for your family to have that discussion or make that decision when the time comes,” Lidstone said. 

The 9th Annual Bionic Golf Tournament will be taking place at Gull Lake Golf Course in Rimbey this Friday in support of HOPE. Sponsors, families of both donors and recipients and members from HOPE program and the University of Alberta hospital will be in attendance to raise awareness of the organ/tissue donation programs in the province, and to show support to those affected by these transplants.

Lidstone's ultimate message is for people to get informed, register themselves and have discussions with their family members about organ and tissue donation for when they die. She said these discussions save lives, improve people's quality of living and offer an opportunity to deal with this challenging topic ahead of time.