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Living Donation

International Living Donation Storytelling Project 

Canadian Blood Services has partnered with Dr. Amy Waterman and her team at the Transplant Research and Education Centre (TREC) to provide Canadians the opportunity to participate in The Living Donation Storytelling Project. megaphone

The Living Donation Storytelling Project is a one-of-a-kind digital library of video stories, recorded by real people, sharing their living donor kidney transplant experiences. 

Everyone’s experience is different, and you may find sharing your story can be an empowering experience and an inspirational resource for others. By telling your story, you will help raise awareness about the importance of living donation, inspire and educate, provide valuable information for those learning about living donation and transplant, and join a large community of storytellers looking to make a difference. This is your story to tell. 

Get involved

Tips and tricks to help you tell your story

Need help?

For more information or support in telling your story, contact the living donation team at Canadian Blood Services: kpd@blood.ca  

Want to learn more about living donation in Canada? 

Those interested in becoming a living donor in Canada can connect to their local donation or transplant program and find more information about living donation and the kidney paired donation program here.  

A few Canadian stories 

Canadian storytellers’ videos will become part of the international storytelling library and be an essential support for potential living donors here in Canada as part of Canadian Blood Services’ developing educational resource platform. Listen to our first Canadian storytellers. Hear what they have to say about their experience as living kidney donors or recipients. 

 

 

Background: Living Donation Storytelling Project

Canadian Blood Services partnered with Dr. Amy Waterman and her team at the Transplant Research and Education Centre (TREC) to provide Canadians the opportunity to participate in The Living Donation Storytelling Project  

Dr. Waterman and her team at TREC began collecting stories from living kidney donors, living kidney donor transplant recipients, family and friends of recipients, and people in need of a living kidney donor in the summer of 2018, using an innovative storyteller capturing platform. 

The digital library technology empowers participants to record their story anywhere, anytime, on any smartphone, tablet, or laptop. Participants receive an email invitation with a link to record a video story. Open-ended prompts guide Storytellers to topics of discussion and ensures the educational value of their narrative. Upon conclusion, the video segments automatically stitch together into one seamless story. 

The digital storytelling platform has already collected hundreds of stories from living donors, recipients, allies, including those exploring the idea of donation, and some looking for a living donor. Storytellers come from diverse backgrounds, geographic regions, age, and life experience. By sharing their candid personal stories, they each help to raise awareness about the need for living donors to help improve the outlook for those waiting for transplant.