Press Release

For Immediate Release April 21, 2011

MPPs Issue Organ and Tissue Donor Registration Challenge

QUEEN’S PARK – Frank Klees, MPP (Newmarket-Aurora) was joined by Norm Miller, MPP (Muskoka-Parry Sound) and John O’Toole, MPP (Durham) who together launched a friendly MPP Challenge to double the number of people registered as organ donors in their ridings over the next four months.

They were joined by transplant recipients Sandra Holdsworth, Bruce Cuthbert, Kelly Thorman-Kleinschmidt and Jennifer Irwin who shared their personal stories of how an organ transplant saved their lives.

Currently there are 1500 people waiting for an organ transplant in Ontario and thousands more are in need of tissue transplants. One person dies every three days waiting for an organ that never comes.

According to Klees, the reason for that statistic is that Ontario lags far behind many jurisdictions where the number of people registered as potential donors has reached as high as 80%. The current Ontario average is 17% and in the riding of Newmarket-Aurora registration is at 20%. “Ontario and York Region can do much better,” said Klees.

In a statement in the Legislature, Klees extended this MPP Challenge to all Ontario MPPs. “This is a challenge where everyone wins and the hope is that all MPPs will participate by encouraging constituents in their ridings to help give the gift of life to many who would otherwise be left without hope,” said Klees.

Information for Constituents on how to register as a potential organ donor:

If you are 16 years or older, please click here to download and print the Gift of Life Organ Donation Consent Form. That form should then be delivered to your local Service Ontario office or mailed to Organ Donor Consent, ServiceOntario PO BOX 48, Kingston ON K7L 5J3

-30-

See other pages on this issue

Frankly Speaking The Gift of Life

Organ and Tissue Donation Crisis

Organ and Tissue Online Registry