The Facts About Organ Donation

• One organ donor can save up to eight lives, and one tissue donor can enhance the lives of 75 people.
• In Saskatchewan, about 60 people are waiting for a kidney transplant and more than 110 are waiting for a cornea transplant.
• In 2017, there were 17 multi-organ donors and 39 cornea donors in our province. 33 people received a kidney transplant, and 43 cornea transplants were performed.
• Saskatchewan's rate of organ donation from deceased donors was 14.6 donors per million population in 2017. This rate has improved from 12.2 deceased donors per million population in 2016.
• Canada's organ donation rate was 20.9 deceased donors per million in 2016 (most recent data available).
• The first transplant in Saskatchewan, a kidney, took place just over 50 years ago on December 10, 1963, and over 800 kidney transplants have been performed in our province since.
• Saskatchewan has the largest surgical bone donation program in Canada. Most donated bone comes from hip replacement surgery and is used in many surgical procedures that require bone grafts.
• Age doesn't matter. Canada's oldest organ donor was over 90 years old.
• Donation will be considered only after every effort has been made to save your life.
• The most important thing you can do is talk to your family and let them know your wishes. Organ and tissue donation is only possible with the consent of your next of kin. Therefore, it is extremely important that you have a new Angel's Legacy Organ Donor Gift Card with the proper and legal non-veto clause.

Did You Know?

You are six times more likely to need a transplant than you are to become an organ donor.

Watch videos about donors and recipients in Saskatchewan.

Read Personal Stories About Organ Donation

Hear From Donors & Recipients

Resources

Click on the links below to learn more about organ and tissue donation.​

About Organ and Tissue Donation

Canadian Blood Services

Canadian Society of Transplantation

Canadian Transplant Association

The Dawne Switenky Memorial Foundation Inc.

Saskatchewan Transplant Program

Lung Association of Saskatchewan

The Kidney Foundation of Canada

The Transplant Journey Guide Book

Transplants and Donations