As we continue to acknowledge Be a Donor Month, the Northwest Regional Renal Program would like to highlight the impact of deceased donor kidney transplants for our patients.

A kidney transplant is the best form of treatment for most patients suffering from end stage kidney failure.  When our patients do not have a potential living donor, the next transplant option is to be assessed, cleared, and then listed on the deceased donor kidney or kidney/pancreas list.  There simply is not enough deceased donor organs to accommodate all patients in need of a kidney transplant.  This would require our patients to be waiting for many years for a deceased donor kidney or kidney/pancreas.  Some patients have to wait up to 10 years before they receive a kidney transplant.  The patients have to be on dialysis before they are placed on the deceased donor list.  This could mean many years of dialysis with each year increasing their chances of further health complications.

2024 Transplant recipients at Northwest Regional Renal Program:

• 5 Deceased Donor Kidney Transplants
• 5 Living Donor Kidney Transplants

2025 Transplant recipient so far:

• 1 Deceased Donor Kidney Transplant

We currently have 15 patients listed on the Ontario Deceased Donor Kidney Transplant List.

The Northwest Regional Renal Program is taking steps to increase access to kidney and kidney/pancreas transplant for our patients:

• Created and improved patient friendly tools for patients to use to utilize during their transplant assessment.
• Enhanced both patient and front line staff transplant and donor education.
• Created strategies to improve test and transplant centre referral wait times.
• Established our own Transplant Ambassador Program as a means for patients to connect with their peers.
• Facilitate through Transplant Coordinators via virtual appointments between patients, and University Health Network/Toronto General Hospital Pre-Transplant program.
• Participate in working groups with other Ontario renal and transplant programs. These groups established provincial guidelines to improve access and referral process for kidney transplant, funding guidelines for transplant assessments, and are collaborating to create a “Finding a Donor Toolkit”.
• Produced a Living Kidney Donor Transplant video featuring two local Living Kidney Donor Transplant stories.
• Created a Transplant Tree of Life in our Renal Services waiting room to show case the amount and different types of transplants that have taken place within our program.

If you have not already registered, please consider being an organ donor.  Sign up at beadonor.ca