Heart transplant 'gift of life,' says Manitoba's 1st recipient

On April 22, Maureen Baraneiski and her husband, Chuck, spoke to CBC News about the gift of life she received 30 years ago.

Dr. Faisal Siddiqui of Transplant Manitoba's Gift of LIfe program in Winnipeg says there is a desperate need for donated organs in Manitoba.

However, less than one per cent of Manitobans have signed up as donors on SignUpForLife.ca, the province's online organ and tissue donor registry.

"If it gets to the point of donation, a lot of their families don't even know that their loved one wanted to donate as part of their gift," he said.

Donor information that's stored in the online registry can be immediately accessed by doctors, Siddiqui said.

"There's a lot of people who are living with gifts given to them, and they're able to live long and productive lives," he said.