2023 BeADonor Month Proclamation

I, Mayor Judy Brown, do hereby proclaim April 2023 as "BeADonor Month" in the Town of Perth;

Whereas, April is BeADonor Month in Ontario; and

Whereas, the goal during BeADonor Month is to inspire those who have not yet registered consent for organ and tissue donation; and

Whereas, almost 1,400 people in Ontario are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant and every three days someone will die waiting for an organ transplant; and

Whereas, in 2022, 328 deceased organ donors gave the gift of life, 907 organ transplants were performed in Ontario, and 1,783 tissue donors enhanced the lives of thousands.

Whereas, 90% of Ontarians support organ and tissue donation yet only one in three (35%) of eligible Ontarians have registered their consent to donate; and

Whereas, families almost always consent to donation when there is evidence a loved one registered their decision to donate, but in the absence of a registered donation decision, families consent only half of the time; and

Whereas, everyone has the potential to be an organ and/or tissue donor, regardless of age or health; one organ donor can save up to eight lives and enhance the lives of up to 75 others through tissue donation; and

Now Therefore, I encourage all citizens to learn more about organ and tissue donation and transplantation, and consider pledging their support to BeADonor Month by registering as a donor at BeADonor.ca.