How our daughter’s death helped save the lives of others
Tomorrow marks 10 years since one of the worst days of our life. It also marks 10 years since our daughter, Sarah Beth Therien, changed organ and tissue donation in Canada.
Sarah Beth was only 32 when she collapsed suddenly, following a cardiac arrest. It was a terrible shock to everyone who had known our healthy and happy girl, and within a few days, we found ourselves facing the decision to withdraw life support. Our family wouldn’t wish this circumstance on anyone, it was heart wrenching and devastating.
During that dark time, however, there was one light that shone through. Our Sarah Beth was a giving and generous soul, she lived to help others. We knew she believed strongly in organ donation. We wanted to help her give that final gift.
It may come as a surprise to most to learn that the opportunity for organ donation is quite rare. Ten years ago in Ontario, donation was only an option when someone had been declared brain dead, which happens in only 1 to 2 per cent of hospital deaths. Although Sarah Beth was no longer with us, she didn’t technically meet the criteria for brain death, so it seemed to all that donation was not an option. Of course, we had always known never to underestimate our Sarah Beth, so we should have guessed that something remarkable was in the works.
At the time, Ontario was close to adding a second form of donation. Referred to as donation after cardiocirculatory death (DCD), the protocol allowed for donation after life support was removed, rather than a patient having to have died while on a ventilator. We knew something about this and we took a chance, asking the hospital if we could make this happen for Sarah Beth.
Sarah Beth was not brain dead, but she was not coming back to us. With the support of Trillium Gift of Life Network and the Ottawa Hospital, our daughter became Canada’s first DCD donor. Two people received her kidneys and have been able to lead productive lives since that time, and dozens benefitted from the gift of her tissue.
Sarah Beth’s legacy continues. In the 10 years since her death,1,067 transplants have been performed in Ontario with organs from DCD donors — that’s more than 1,000 lives saved because of something that started with our daughter. More than 1,000 families who have had their loved one returned to them.
Today, almost one third of the deceased donors in Ontario are DCD. This knowledge has sustained us, has helped us through the difficult years we have had to live without her. We know, because Sarah Beth told us, that this is exactly what she would have wanted. We are comforted in knowing we were able to make that happen for her.
Death is an uncomfortable subject, it isn’t easy to talk about and it isn’t easy to think about in connection with our loved ones. We understand that, better than most. We ask that today you think about it a bit differently. Think about the things you can do now, to help make that sad, inevitable moment a little bit easier for your family. Register your consent as an organ and tissue donor. Then have the conversation, tell your family this is important to you, ask that they do the same.
Our Sarah Beth is gone, but she lives on. We thank her every day for the gift she left us, the assurance and the peace of knowing her wishes. In the 10 years since we lost her, we’ve gained a passion to educate people on the importance of donation and to ensure that every family facing a loss like ours has the same opportunity to make a life-saving choice. Now, 10 years later, there are thousands of Ontarians living because of one thoughtful conversation. Will you have yours?
In Ontario, you can register your consent to be an organ donor at: beadonor.ca. It will take someone all of two minutes.
Beth and Emile Therien are the parents of Sarah Beth and are passionate advocates in favour of organ and tissue donation. They volunteer with the Trillium Gift of Life Network, the organ and tissue donation agency of the Ontario Ministry of Health and with the Canadian Blood Services, organs and tissues division.