Gift of Life
Transplant Manitoba - Gift of Life is responsible for coordinating and supporting organ donation in the province.
In 2019, over 4,400 Canadians were waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. That same year, 250 died while on the wait list.
A single deceased organ donor can save the lives of up to eight people in need:
- heart (can provide years of active living)
- kidneys (a donor can donate healthy kidneys to two different people, saving them from dialysis and early death)
- lungs (allows unassisted breathing)
- liver (a donor’s liver can be divided into two to help two different people live)
- pancreas (can restore normal insulin production)
- small bowel (restores proper digestion)
A single deceased tissue donor can improve and enhance the lives of up to another 75:
- corneas (restores sight)
- heart valves (repairs defective ones)
- bone (can prevent amputation)
- skin (helps to heal serious burns)
For more information about eye and tissue donation, please visit:
For more facts about organ and tissue donation, please visit Canadian Blood Services.
Statistic source: Canadian Institute for Health Information. e-Statistics Report on Transplant, Waiting List and Donor Statistics, 2019. Ottawa, ON: CIHI; 2020.