Deciding to give the gift of life through organ/tissue donation is one of the most generous and important decisions you can make.

Every year thousands of Canadian lives are saved by generous organ donors. One donor can save up to eight lives, giving another family a gift of a life time. There are currently 4,500 people in Canada waiting for a life saving organ or tissue transplant.

The Alberta Organ and Tissue Donation Registry (AOTDR) is an online service where you can register to be on the donor list.  Another way to save lives is to become a living donor (kidneys, part of the lung or liver. or tissue such as bone marrow or stem cells)

Shamus Neeson, a Living Organ Donor, decided to offer up his services after seeing a post on Facebook about a high school friend in dire need of a kidney.  

Neeson had been already going through the process of donating his kidney to a stranger he met via social media, when that particular recipient received a kidney from a gentleman who passed away in a car accident at the hospital where she spent every night on dialysis. Since he was already on the donor list and was a match for his high school friend, Neeson redirected his donation there.

"The satisfaction for me is knowing I can make someone's life better."

To become a donor you must talk it over with your family and let your wishes be known, decide how and when you wish to donate,  then access the online Alberta Organ and Tissue Donation Registry or look here.