Bikers promote organ donation

[okarol]

Bikers promote organ donation

Tb News Source
Web Posted: 8/8/2007 1:41:59 PM
     
A unique trio of bikers passed through Thunder Bay on Tuesday with an important message promoting organ and tissue donation.

Liver donor Robert Crawford, his son Jacob, and his transplant recipient, Marilyn Olivo-Crawford, are motorcycling across Canada to convince people to sign a donor card. Olivo-Crawford says since receiving a piece of Robert's liver her quality of life has greatly improved. The donor and transplant recipient are also connected through marriage, Robert is Marilyn's brother-in-law

They will attempt to cross Canada in four weeks, covering almost 8000 kilometres and plan to stop in major cities to deliver their message. They told their story at the Port Arthur Rotary Club.

It's been two years since Marilyn Olivo-Crawford had a liver transplant and she says today she is feeling great. After being diagnosed with Hepatitis C Olivo-Crawford became very ill and says it was a life-saving gift she received from her brother-in-law.

''They came out to my husband at the hospital and told him that if it wasn't for Robert, I wouldn't have been around, because they didn't believe that I was still walking, my liver was so bad. So, I was very lucky.''

Her brother-in-law Robert Crawford says he would do anything to help his sister-in-law, whom he considers his sister. He says it was an easy decision to make initially, and after several tests and discussions with his wife he gave up two thirds of his liver.

Along with risks from the surgery, there was also a risk Crawford's remaining piece of liver would fail. But everything went well and Crawford says he's feeling as good or better than he did before he had the surgery. While he gave a living donation he wants to bring attention to the need for other Canadians to consider giving permission to donate their organs after death.

''For the organ donation, you can save up to eight lives, and up to 45 for tissue donations. Skin for burn victims, and there's heart valves, tendons and ligaments, corneas, you can give someone their vision back. It's amazing how many people can benefit from one donation.''

Crawford's son Jacob is very matter-of-fact about saying he'll sign his donor card as soon as he becomes old enough.

''Well, there's a lot of people on the organ donation list, that if there were more living donors, or deceased donors that signed their donor card, we wouldn't need to have any living donors.''

An important part of the message they're taking across the country is to make sure you tell family members about your wishes if you sign a donor card.

http://www.tbsource.com/Localnews/index.asp?cid=98592