Canada recognizes National Organ and Tissue Donation Week - April 21-27, 2024
National campaign encourages Canadians to Leave Well so others can live well
OTTAWA — This year, National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week, recognized annually since 1997 on the last full week in April, celebrates Canadians who have chosen to Leave Well so others can live well.
Leave Well speaks to the positivity of leaving a legacy, of choosing to do the right thing at the end of your life. It speaks to the pride in choosing to register to be an organ and tissue donor. The heroes of the Leave Well campaign are regular do-gooding people from across Canada who choose to register to become an organ donor.
Leave Well so others can live well
No one likes to think about dying. But spoiler alert: it is going to happen. Choosing to Leave Well when the time comes means choosing to register to be an organ and tissue donor, and ultimately becoming the kind of human who may help others keep on living when your turn with living is up. It’s a pretty nice way to wrap up this whole adventure, don’t you think?
Learn more about how to Leave Well here.
Don’t forget! Talking about your decision to register to become an organ and tissue donor is extremely important. Your loved ones must give consent to honour your wishes at the end of your life; if you’ve already talked about it, it’s easier for them to do the right thing.
More and more Canadians are choosing to Leave Well
The 2024 additions to the Leave Well campaign are two fantastic people who’ve made their choice to Leave Well. Introducing Molli and Michelle - these two Newfoundlanders are in the process of having their campaign collages created. In the meantime..
Meet Molli and hear about her why…
Listen to Molli tell us about her decision to register as an organ an tissue donor on one of the new Leave Well radio ads.
Meet Michelle and her cousin Charmaine… and learn about Michelle’s why…
Michelle (below right) from St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, had already chosen to Leave Well so others can live well.
“I initially registered to become an organ donor without a second thought. It just logically made sense,” says Michelle.
When tragedy struck her own family, the true significance of her decision became clear. In February 2024, she lost her cousin Charmaine (below left). Amidst the grief, Michelle witnessed the transformative power of organ donation through Charmaine's gift.
“I saw the impact it has had... Not only did it change the lives of the recipients and their families, but it brought a deep comfort to our family knowing she is still making a difference in the world every day. It was a thread that held us together in a tragic time,” says Michelle.
Find out how you too can Leave Well, visit donateyourorgans.ca
Now’s your chance to choose to leave well so others can live well. Register to be an organ and tissue donor.
Thank you!
Special thanks to the many folks who have brought this impactful campaign to life. A special shout out to the talented team at Flipside Creative and to our smooth talking narrator, Paul. Enormous gratitude to our generous organ and tissue donation registrants for giving their time, their energy and enthusiasm to make this campaign sing. Thank you Joban, Alia, Melissa, Cody, Jackie, Jane, Estelle, Lily, Rio, Tammie, Michelle and Molli.
The Leave Well campaign platform is presented by Canadian Blood Services in collaboration with the national Public Education and Awareness Committee members representing organ donation organizations across Canada. It was launched during NOTDAW in 2023 and continues year-round as a prompt to Canadians to consider what it means to Leave Well.
A brief history of National Organ and Tissue Donation Week
Bill C-202, enacting National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week in Canada was passed unanimously by the Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science, and Technology on Feb. 4, 1997. The bill was brought forward by former Liberal Member of Parliament Dan McTeague. The last full week of April was chosen to mark the occasion and to commemorate the death of Stuart Herriott, a toddler killed in a motor vehicle incident in McTeague’s riding of Pickering-Scarborough East. The parents of two-and-a-half-year-old Herriott donated his organs and, in turn, helped to save and improve the lives of four others. Learn more National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Campaigns | Blood.ca
