Marion Oke, Kidney Donor (credit - CFJC Today)

By Michael Reeve

Green Shirt Day

Almost eleven years on, Kamloops’ Marion Oke still thankful she decided to donate a kidney

Apr 7, 2022 | 4:09 PM

KAMLOOPS — Over ten years ago, Marion Oke donated her kidney to a friend in need, a selfless act she hopes will continue to inspire others to register as organ donors.

“I’ve signed my organ donor card forever. I’ve told my family if anything is still functioning when I’m gone, take it all, donate my body to science. You don’t need it when your not here anymore. And to find out you can donate a kidney if you’re healthy and still be really healthy. I’ve had no ill effects since my donation,” said Marion.

British Columbia has an extremely strong living kidney donation program, with B.C. Transplant working to begin the procedure prior to dialysis.

“Living donation is a very important component,” said Ed Farre, B.C. Transplant Provincial Operations Director. “We also have some very interesting programs underway, one of which is ‘transplant first’, in which we encourage patients who are not yet in dialysis but are heading toward renal failure to talk to individuals and find a living donor so they can be transplanted before they start dialysis.”

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“If you are healthy, and you want to do it, you can donate a kidney. For my friend Sig, the next stage would have been dialysis for him. He’s been able to avoid dialysis because of my donation,” added Marion.

Across B.C. Almost 600 people are currently waiting for a life-saving organ donation.

“We encourage everyone to register. It takes two minutes to save a life. And once you’ve registered we encourage everybody to have that discussion with you’re family and let them know you have registered,” said Farre.

Following the tragic Humboldt Broncos crash four years ago, Logan Boulet’s final act was to save the lives of six complete strangers, a legacy that continues to live on across Canada with Green Shirt Day now celebrated annually on April 7^th.

“This donation inspired tens of thousands of Canadians to register as organ donors and this is what we refer to as the Logan Boulet effect. It’s a day to raise awareness for organ donation and encourage Canadians right across the country to register as organ donors and honour Logan Boulet’s legacy,” said Farre.

For Marion, the easy decision to donate her kidney has led to a lifelong friendship, complete with kidney anniversaries.

“We celebrated our tenth anniversary last year, that was a biggie. Every July we have our kidney anniversary, so we get together,” said Marion.

The legacy of Green Shirt Day will live on because of people like Marion, Logan and hopefully many others.

For more information on Green Shirt Day visit GreenShirtDay.ca and organ donation at TakeTwoMinutes.ca.