Saskatchewan has proclaimed Sept. 7 to 13 as Living Organ Donation Week to celebrate donors and recipients and encourage more residents to consider giving the gift of life.
The week is being recognized with a provincewide campaign featuring stories of living donors and transplant recipients on social media, digital billboards, buses, airports and movie theatres in Regina and Saskatoon.
Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said the initiative highlights the province’s commitment to organ and tissue donation.
“We are proud to showcase these incredibly selfless acts of generosity that have transformed the lives of residents in our province,” Cockrill said in a release.
Among those featured is donor Brent Kruger, who gave a kidney to a stranger in February 2023 after learning about a Saskatoon woman seeking a match.
“My blood type matched and it was almost like a light-bulb moment,” Kruger said. “Every time I see Debbie, my recipient, I just say, it was all worth it to give her a second chance at life. I wouldn’t change that for the world.”
As of July, 107 adult patients in Saskatchewan were waiting for a kidney transplant. Kidney procedures are performed at St. Paul’s Hospital in Saskatoon, while the provincial transplant program also works with out-of-province physicians for other organ donations.
“Living kidney donors make an extraordinary gift by transforming lives, reducing the transplant waitlist, and providing hope for patients in need,” said Dr. Rahul Mainra, a transplant nephrologist and provincial lead for the living kidney donation program.
Anyone over 18 can inquire about becoming a living kidney donor by contacting the Saskatchewan Transplant Program.