Be a Donor Month Smiths Falls draws attention to ongoing transplant needs
SMITHS FALLS — Smiths Falls is joining a provincewide push to boost organ and tissue donation, proclaiming April as Be a Donor Month and April 7 as Green Shirt Day, as advocates warn too many Ontarians are still waiting for life-saving transplants.
Mayor Shawn Pankow signed the proclamation March 9, encouraging residents to learn about donation and register their consent.
The campaign is backed by the Transplant Advocate Association, a regional charity working across eastern Ontario to raise awareness and support transplant recipients and donors.
For Kingston resident Richard Hogan, the message is personal.
Hogan suffered a massive heart attack on Dec. 24, 2018, caused by a blockage known as the “widowmaker.” After surviving the initial event, his health declined over the next two years, leading to heart failure and a transplant decision.
He received a new heart on Oct. 19, 2020, just days after being placed on the transplant list.
The transplant extended his life, allowing him to see his children graduate and plan for future milestones with his family.
But not every story ends that way.
Smiths Falls resident Bobbi-Jo Craig knows that reality all too well.
Her husband, Chris Craig, spent years waiting for a liver transplant, a journey documented in local coverage as his condition worsened. He died while on the waiting list after developing a secondary illness.
Craig is now involved with the Transplant Advocate Association, turning that loss into advocacy.
In his memory, she has organized annual “Do It for Craiger” horseshoe tournaments in Toledo, raising funds and awareness for organ donation.
Stories like Hogan’s and Craig’s underscore the urgency behind the campaign, and they are not isolated.
Across the region, families have faced the same uncertainty, with some patients receiving transplants after long waits, while others died before a match could be found.
About 1,400 people in Ontario are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, and someone dies every three days while waiting.
Despite broad public support, registration rates remain low.
Local numbers reflect that gap. In Smiths Falls, about 44 per cent of eligible residents are registered organ donors, compared to 52 per cent in Perth and roughly 47 per cent across the broader Lanark region. All sit above the provincial average of about 35 per cent, but still fall short of a majority.
One donor can save up to eight lives and enhance the lives of dozens more through tissue donation.
The Transplant Advocate Association says its work focuses on awareness and helping recipients and their families navigate the realities of transplantation, including travel, accommodation and recovery.
Green Shirt Day, marked April 7, honours Humboldt Broncos player Logan Boulet, whose organ donation following the 2018 bus crash saved six lives and inspired tens of thousands of Canadians to register as donors.
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