The London Health Sciences Centre and London Transplant Gift of Life Association hope to raise awareness about organ donation and transplantation. The group hosted a cardiac transplant awareness event at Windermere Manor earlier this month with doctors and transplant receivers as guest speakers.

Jane Tucker, President of the London Transplant Gift of Life Association, organized the event to raise awareness among the public. She also hoped to attract the attention of students and businesses that would be willing and able to provide future support in fundraising and awareness campaigns.

While the audience was relatively small, the message was important: London needs better transplant facilities. Doctors and cardiac transplant recipients talked about the importance of organ donation and cardiac devices such as the Impella and HeartMate.

Cardiac devices like the Impella are little pumps that help the heart increase blood flow and continue to pump blood throughout the body, helping to prevent multiple organ failure. These devices are considered standard care for patients at the final stage of organ failure while waiting for a heart transplant.

The London Cardiac Transplant program is looking to expand their cardiac device program in order to save the lives of those on the heart transplant waiting list. Currently, LHSC is the only program in Canada without all the available devices. The program only has access to one type of cardiac device: the Impella.

Terry Elliott was the University Campus Cardiac Transplant program's first Impella recipient. Elliott's heart condition worsened over the period of 10 years. He was considered for a heart transplant, but when the organ wasn't immediately available, he received a cardiac device within a week of being admitted to the hospital. Elliott quickly received a donor heart after using the cardiac device for only five days.

Elliott recalled his emotional story. "The stronger you can be (going into the transplant), the shorter the duration of recovery will be."

He also talked about the difficulties the donor family went through, and he sent a thank-you out to all the families who support organ donations and transplants.

Patients and their families aren't the only people emotionally impacted by transplants. Doctors like Dr. Bob Kiaii and Mac Quantz also shared their personal experiences with patients, the device, and cardiac transplants. Each doctor briefly explained the importance of donating and how many of the devices work to save lives.

Kiaii explained that he was influenced to work in the field of cardiac transplants after his own father underwent a heart transplant procedure. Kiaii said that knowing that he can help others is the reason he goes to work with a smile, despite all the stress.

Tucker encouraged students to get involved in raising awareness on the importance of organ donation by becoming an organ donator, starting donation campaigns at school or simply by educating themselves.

For more information on organ donation and cardiac devices email cardiacdevice@hotmail.com or visit beadonor.ca.