Calls for organ donation legislation in Quebec

“There are so many of us that are waiting for that second chance of life,” said Luisa Miniaci-Di Leo who is waiting for a new liver and kidney due to complications with polycystic kidney disease.

Transplant Quebec is calling on the public and government for help.

Out of 913 Quebecers who needed organ transplants at the end of 2022 only 483 received one in the same year.

Many are suffering as a result.

“An organ transplantation is a new lease on life. It’s a chance to live when there would be no other real alternative to it. And a successful transplant leads to going back to normal life, going back to work, taking care of kids, getting married, and so forth,” said Dr. Prosanto Chaudhury, a transplant surgeon at the MUHC and Medical Director of Transplantation for Transplant Quebec.

“I never thought it would come to this, I honestly thought that my kidneys would go first. I never like I was totally shocked when they told me about, you know, the liver,” said Miniaci-Di Leo.

Out of the 913 patients who needed organ transplants in 2022, 40 died while on the waitlist.

“The goal is to have an all-encompassing law where all of the elements around the donation system and the transportation are in one place, in the Cde civile, that clarifies the structure and processes and organization of the system, that enshrines training for all healthcare professionals, that addresses the role of the family in terms of consent, that has a discussion around consent as well. And that all of that is clearly spelled out so there are no gray areas anymore,” said Dr. Chaudhury.

“I need to fight because, you know, I hope to be maybe a grandmother a day, one day, and I want to see, you know, I would like to see my kids married,” said Miniaci-Di Leo.

“It’s an absolutely life-changing, life-saving event. Every donor can impact up to eight lives in that way, not encountering all the patients who could be impacted by tissue donation. So every single donation is hugely important and has huge impacts on a large number of people,” said Dr. Chaudhury.

Transplant Quebec says our province is trailing behind other Canadian provinces when it comes to the number of organ donations.

“That’s why it’s so important that we have a system that is designed to maximize every donation opportunity. Approximately 1% of in-hospital deaths are potential organ donors. So that’s very, very few. And so the system has to be in place so that every single one of those donors has the chance to be a donor,” said Dr. Chaudhury.

“We ensure that every time somebody is passing away or close to passing away, that health organizations are signifying this to transplant Quebec so we do not lose any organs,” said Martine Bouchard, CEO of Transplant Quebec.

“I’m not the only one in this boat. There are many Quebecers in this situation,” said Miniaci-Di Leo. “Let’s move forward and help the Quebecers really. Help the Quebecers return to becoming citizens who will contribute to society.”