About donation
Thousands of Canadians, including hundreds of Albertans, are waiting for a life-saving transplant; however, only 1-2% of people can be potential organ donors upon their death. It's in the numbers: when more people donate, more lives are saved.
Eligibility identified in the ICU
After all life-saving efforts fail and brain death is confirmed by two specialists, the patient is maintained on a ventilator
Family notification & consent
Give Life Alberta checks registry, informs family of loved one’s wishes, obtains formal consent from next-of-kin
Assessment & matching
Potential donor assessed and tested for eligibility, recipients matched based on factors including blood group, size, urgency
Surgery & release
Medical team takes moment of silence to honour donor before surgically recovering organs/tissues. Donor released to family's chosen funeral home within 24–72 hours
No pressure for families
Organ and tissue donation is an altruistic and very personal gift. Families are presented with the options and then given the choice. Give Life Alberta staff respect and support all decisions, whether they lead to donation or not.
If organ donation isn’t possible, often tissue donation is
If a person dies outside of a hospital (i.e. nursing home, private home, or at the scene of an accident), organ donation would not be an option because the person would not be maintained on a ventilator. But tissue donation is often possible, depending on the timing of death.
Chris Snow helped save four lives after ALS took his in 2023 — a legacy his family holds close. The former Calgary Flames assistant GM gave of himself in life through ALS awareness efforts, then unexpectedly helped others after he died.
Even during her three-year battle with terminal colorectal cancer, Kathleen McGee managed to look at the bright side - incorporating her observations about having cancer into her shows - and ultimately had the vision to leave the gift of sight for someone else.
Logan Boulet was killed in the 2018 Humboldt Broncos bus crash. The 21-year-old defenseman, who had previously shared his wishes to donate, saved 6 people with his organ and tissue donations on April 7 of that year, now commemorated as Green Shirt Day.
There can be many questions when it comes to donating organs and tissues. Our FAQs aim to educate and dispel myths.
A potential donor’s next-of-kin will be asked to provide answers to a standard medical and social questionnaire. This is to establish that the person’s organs and/or tissues are safe to transplant into another person. The questions relate to any illnesses the person might have had and whether they were at risk for contracting certain illnesses. For example, did they have a history of non-medicinal intravenous drug use?
When a potential organ donor is in the ICU, the medical team does a thorough assessment to determine their stability, organ function and risk of disease. Even if the person’s organs were healthy in life, the process of death itself may cause injury, sometimes making the organs unsuitable for transplant.
After their next-of-kin signs the consent forms and completes the medical and social questionnaire, the medical team performs a physical examination on the potential donor, along with the following laboratory and diagnostic tests:
Donor families can contact their Donor Coordinator or Tissue Specialist at any time after donation for support or answers to questions. Staff can also put them in touch with other care professionals, such as grief support, as required. Donor families are invited to Give Life Alberta’s annual Donor Recognition Event, which honours donors and the loved ones who made their gifts of life possible.
Your decision can save up to 8 lives and change 75 more. It starts with a two-minute registration — and a conversation with your family.
