Canadian Blood Services honours the lifesaving power of organ and tissue donors during National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week (April 19-25)
National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week (NOTDAW) honours Canadians who have chosen to donate lifesaving organs and tissue and recognizes transplant recipients embracing their second chance at life.
This week, Canadian Blood Services encourages all Canadians to make or reaffirm their intent to be a donor by talking with friends, families and end-of-life decision makers and registering their decision with their provincial donor registry. One conversation can make a world of difference for loved ones consenting to honour the decision to donate and for those waiting for a life-changing gift of life.
Canadian Blood Services is grateful for the collaboration that makes National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week possible. We congratulate our partners in the organ and tissue donation community in Canada for their amazing work to increase awareness of the importance of organ and tissue donation in Canada.
Organ and tissue donation is one of the most profound gifts one person can give to another, and the decision to say yes to donation offers the power to transform tragedy into hope.
Learn more at blood.ca/organs-tissues.
Access your provincial organ donor registry at organtissuedonation.ca.
History of NOTDAW
NOTDAW was enacted in Canada on February 4, 1997, through Bill C-202 which passed unanimously by the Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science, and Technology. The last full week of April was chosen to commemorate the death of Stuart Herriott, a toddler killed in a motor vehicle incident whose organs were donated to save and improve the lives of four others.
Facts about organ and tissue donation and transplantation
- There are more than 4,000 Canadians waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant. 75 per cent of those are waiting for a kidney.
- There remains a shortage of organs for transplant. In 2024, 214 Canadians die waiting for a lifesaving transplant.
- One organ donor can save up to eight lives; tissues can save or improve up to 75 lives.
- According to the latest validated data, only about one third of Canadians have registered their intent to donate their organs or tissues after death. Yet, according to polls, 90 per cent of Canadians support the idea of becoming an organ and tissue donor.
- Organ donation is rare. Only one to two per cent of people die under the right circumstances to be an organ donor. This is because deaths must occur under specific circumstances to make organ donation possible: in hospital and after all lifesaving efforts have been exhausted.
- Take two minutes to register your decision and be sure to tell your family, friends and end-of-life decision makers about your intent to be a donor.
MEDIA CONTACT
media@blood.ca
1-877-709-7773
About Canadian Blood Services
Canadian Blood Services works with the Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation (OTDT) community to improve national system performance and increase equitable access to donation and transplant. We do this through the development of leading practices, professional education, public awareness and data analysis and reporting. We also manage clinical programs that support interprovincial sharing of organs.