There are almost 10,000 people in Kamloops with chronic kidney disease, 80 of whom need of a kidney transplant.
Many will die waiting.
The Kamloops Community Conversation will be held on Thursday, Nov. 27, at 6 p.m. at the Kamloops Art Gallery, at Victoria Street and Fifth Avenue. Members of the public are invited to share their thoughts and experiences, as well as hear from special guest speakers and health-care experts about the impact of kidney disease in the community.
“Every community in B.C. shares a similar story of needing more kidneys than there are available for transplant,” said Karen Philp, executive director of the B.C. branch of the Kidney Foundation of Canada.
“The research shows 95 per cent of British Columbians support the idea of donating a kidney to someone in need, but only 19 per cent are actually registered on B.C.’s organ-donor registry. We want to change this story and invite the public to join the conversation.”
Joe Amyott, who received a kidney transplant from his brother, Terry, is the host of the Community Conversation in Kamloops.
“After a transplant, you feel like you’ve been given a new lease on life,” Joe Amyott said. “I think many people have questions about the process and, by making the information available, the Kidney Foundation’s Community Conversations will help people to see how they can get involved and easily become a registered donor.”
Throughout the province, the foundation is hosting 12 Community Conversations to ask people to help identify the barriers that stop people from registering as organ donors, as well as the solutions to increase the number of people receiving a kidney transplant in their community.
The Kidney Foundation of Canada wants to increase kidney-transplant rates by 50 per cent over the next five years.
Members of the public can learn more and register by calling 604-736-9775 or going online to kidney.bc.ca.
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