Stephanie's story

Stephanie Jolink was only ten years old when she was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure and faced years of dialysis to keep her kidneys working. She was active in dance, swimming, horseback riding and skating, and a thriving student who loved hanging out with her friends. Several days a week on dialysis at the hospital meant she had to miss a lot of school and social time, and swimming wasn’t possible anymore due to the central line to her heart. Then she learned she needed a new kidney.

Real stories told by real people

Mackenzy's Story

Several years ago, when three-year-old Mackenzy passed away due to a severe head injury, her parents donated her organs, and their generous gift saved four lives. The family hopes more Canadians will register their decision to donate and speak to their loved ones about their wishes.

Gurjit's story

Shak is a living kidney donor and Gurjit is a kidney transplant recipient. As Shak was not a direct match for Gurjit, the transplant was facilitated through the Kidney Paired Donation program. Shak and Gurjit are married and since their donation and transplant, they have grown their family and now have a young son named Kasen.

The Decision

This powerful film was made to honour a young girl who died waiting for a heart transplant and to bring awareness to organ and tissue donation. Twelve-year-old Justina Lo Cane suffered from heart disease. After waiting four months for a heart, she passed away in November of 2017, spurring Argentina to pass “Justina’s Law” in July of 2018. Under this law, all citizens over the age of 18 would have to opt-out of donating their organs and tissue after death.