The Giving Tree: MUHC organ & tissue donation plants its roots

July 6, 2010 - The MUHC Multi-Organ Transplant Program, in conjunction with Quebec Transplant and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada, will join organ & tissue donors, recipients and their families today, to plant the first ‘Transplantation Tree of Life’. The initiative aims to increase public awareness for organ and tissue donation – often referred to as the gift of life.  The tree will serve as a token of gratitude for all organ and tissue donors and their families, as well as a universal symbol of life, longevity and regeneration for decades to come. 

“Quebec’s rate of deceased organ donation is the highest in Canada; yet, this is only two-thirds of the US rate and half that of Spain,” says Dr. Prosanto Chaudhury, Assistant Professor of Surgery, McGill University Health Centre. “Increasing public awareness is the key to improving our donation rate. People have to be aware of the choices available, for it is only then that the possibility of donating an organ can be considered.” There are currently over 1,200 people on organ transplant waiting lists, and over 1,000 on the cornea waiting list, in Quebec. According to a Leger & Leger poll taken in April 2008, while 90% of Quebecers are in favor of organ donation, only 55% of the Quebec population has taken concrete measures to donate their organs and tissues. 

“Organ and tissue donors and their families are at the heart of every transplant,” said Wendy Sherry, MUHC Nurse Clinician for Organ and Tissue Donation. “Without a suitable donor and consenting family, there is quite simply no transplantation.  We wish to recognize and thank our organ and tissue donors and their families for the tremendous gifts they have given, while at the same time raising awareness of organ and tissue donation needs here in Quebec. As many as nine lives can be saved, and another 50 can be improved through cornea and tissue donation from just one donor.”

Two years ago, the MUHC’s Multi-Organ Transplant Program celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Commonwealth’s first kidney transplant, performed at the Royal Victoria Hospital.  Since its inception, the program has grown to be the only single-site multi-organ transplant program in the province. It is hoped that today’s 'Transplantation Tree of Life' ceremony will help raise awareness of organ donation throughout Quebec and ultimately improve the province’s donation rate.

About the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) One of the world’s foremost academic health centres, the MUHC offers exceptional and integrated patient-centric care, research and teaching. Highly committed to the continuum of care in its community and affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine of McGill University, The Montreal Children's Hospital, the Montreal General Hospital, the Royal Victoria Hospital, the Montreal Neurological Hospital, the Montreal Chest Institute and the Lachine Hospital of the MUHC value multidisciplinary service throughout the life span, innovative technologies and practices, strategic partnerships and leadership in knowledge transfer. The MUHC is currently carrying out a $2.25-billion Redevelopment Project on three campuses—the Mountain, the Glen and Lachine—designed to provide healthcare professionals with an effective environment in which to ensure patients and their families benefit from The Best Care for Life.  The campuses are also anchored in best sustainable-development practices, including LEED® and BOMA BESt guidelines. www.muhc.ca  www.muhc.ca/construction

About Novartis Transplant

For more than 25 years, Novartis has sought to extend and improve the quality of life of transplant recipients. Novartis offers the broadest range of immunosuppressive agents that help optimize success for most transplant recipients' needs. Novartis Transplant works with healthcare providers to shape successful outcomes for transplant recipients by addressing their individual needs to ensure long-term graft and survival. Novartis will continuously strive to make an unprecedented commitment in advancing transplantation medicine by investing in cutting edge clinical trial programs and a robust pipeline of products to continually identify innovative ways to address the treatment needs of transplant recipients. Novartis Transplant has more than 50 clinical trials currently underway and planned worldwide, involving more than 9,000 participants.