Hundreds of British Columbians are facing the uncomfortable prospect of asking for organ donations
Glenn Miller, a 51-year-old BC resident, suffers from polycystic kidney disease. Having faced the genetic condition all his life, he is now experiencing end-stage renal failure. The next step is dialysis — and competing with 513 other British Columbians for a kidney from a deceased donor.
Kidneys are the most in-demand organ in BC, according to the Vancouver Sun. The province’s transplant list in 2016 had more than 600 people; around 80% had yet to find a donor, and may have to wait for years.
In an effort to find living donors, Miller and others like him are asking relatives and friends for help. Social media has made such requests more common, and doctors are also pushing patients with chronic kidney disease to find a health organ earlier in care. BC Transplant, the body in charge of coordinating donations within the province, says it’s trying to get more live kidney donors.
Finding a living donor is actually better from a health perspective. Studies have shown better health outcomes for those who got a living donation. Since such patients may also get off dialysis, which costs $80,000 a year, the healthcare system also stands to save significantly.
Living donors, however, are rare. Kidney transplants from deceased donors have tripled from 63 to 173 over the last decade in BC. Living donor transplants, in contrast, have stagnated: 110 such transplants were performed in 2015, and 95 were done last year. Patients seeking living donors have to actively solicit for kidneys — as awkward as it sounds.
“Some people are very comfortable, but other people are very reluctant to ask,” Dr. David Landsberg, BC Transplant’s provincial medical director of transplant services, told the Sun. “Part of our strategy is to work with patients and their families for strategies on donor outreach.”
Public appeals have more chances of getting attention, but their effectiveness isn’t clear and they raise privacy concerns. There’s also an issue of fairness: more sympathetic patients, such as children or people with more compelling stories, tend to get more responses.
Still, the benefits may outweigh the issues. “We would say whatever works,” said Heather Johnson, program director of the BC and Yukon chapter of the Kidney Foundation of Canada. “I don’t think there’s a problem as long as there’s no financial concerns” — Canada’s laws forbid the buying and selling of organs — “and there is informed consent.”
Patients looking for live donations resort to different methods. One individual wore a T-shirt that read “I need a kidney”; another took out a newspaper ad. A Castlegar mother posted a request on Facebook for her teenage son; the post got shared more than 7,000 times.
While people are more likely to donate to those they have some connection with, said Landsberg, there is a growing number of altruistic kidney donors who choose to help strangers. In 2006, 65% of living donors were biologically related to the recipients, and 34% were unrelated; in 2015, 44% were biologically related, and 43% were unrelated.
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Kidneys are the most in-demand organ in BC, according to the Vancouver Sun. The province’s transplant list in 2016 had more than 600 people; around 80% had yet to find a donor, and may have to wait for years.
In an effort to find living donors, Miller and others like him are asking relatives and friends for help. Social media has made such requests more common, and doctors are also pushing patients with chronic kidney disease to find a health organ earlier in care. BC Transplant, the body in charge of coordinating donations within the province, says it’s trying to get more live kidney donors.
Finding a living donor is actually better from a health perspective. Studies have shown better health outcomes for those who got a living donation. Since such patients may also get off dialysis, which costs $80,000 a year, the healthcare system also stands to save significantly.
Living donors, however, are rare. Kidney transplants from deceased donors have tripled from 63 to 173 over the last decade in BC. Living donor transplants, in contrast, have stagnated: 110 such transplants were performed in 2015, and 95 were done last year. Patients seeking living donors have to actively solicit for kidneys — as awkward as it sounds.
“Some people are very comfortable, but other people are very reluctant to ask,” Dr. David Landsberg, BC Transplant’s provincial medical director of transplant services, told the Sun. “Part of our strategy is to work with patients and their families for strategies on donor outreach.”
Public appeals have more chances of getting attention, but their effectiveness isn’t clear and they raise privacy concerns. There’s also an issue of fairness: more sympathetic patients, such as children or people with more compelling stories, tend to get more responses.
Still, the benefits may outweigh the issues. “We would say whatever works,” said Heather Johnson, program director of the BC and Yukon chapter of the Kidney Foundation of Canada. “I don’t think there’s a problem as long as there’s no financial concerns” — Canada’s laws forbid the buying and selling of organs — “and there is informed consent.”
Patients looking for live donations resort to different methods. One individual wore a T-shirt that read “I need a kidney”; another took out a newspaper ad. A Castlegar mother posted a request on Facebook for her teenage son; the post got shared more than 7,000 times.
While people are more likely to donate to those they have some connection with, said Landsberg, there is a growing number of altruistic kidney donors who choose to help strangers. In 2006, 65% of living donors were biologically related to the recipients, and 34% were unrelated; in 2015, 44% were biologically related, and 43% were unrelated.
Related stories:
No insurance coverage for sick Calgary baby’s breast milk needs
Close to 2 million residents will have health premiums halved in BC’s 2017 budget
