MLA Conroy to participate in 'domino' kidney transplant
By Contributor
Kootenay West MLA Katrine Conroy will not be available for her official duties as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for approximately one month, beginning on May 7th, 2010.
Conroy and her husband Ed will be participating in a ‘domino’ kidney transplant in May, which will ultimately see Ed receive a much needed kidney transplant.
In total, six people will be involved in the Canada-wide transplant. Ms. Conroy volunteered to donate a kidney to her husband, but is not a compatible donor for him, so instead will donate to a matched recipient who also has a willing but incompatible donor. That donor will benefit yet another unmatched pair, and Mr. Conroy will receive his kidney in Vancouver from them.
“I am very happy to be able to do my part to help out,” said Conroy. “The Canadian Transplant Association, Canadian Blood Services and B.C. Transplant are all doing incredible work, and I hope more people will consider becoming organ donors.”
The domino organ donations are made possible by the new national Living Donor Paired Exchange Registry, launched in February of 2009 by Canadian Blood Services. The first cross-Canada domino transplant took place in June 2009. As more transplant programs sign on to the registry, the donor pool will grow, allowing for more large-scale kidney exchanges and domino transplants.
For more information on organ donation, visit www.transplant.bc.ca
