Many mothers consider their children heroic, but Susan Clarke has more reasons than most to call her son a hero.
Diagnosed with a congenital liver disease, Clarke, 57, was close to death when doctors discovered her son Sean, then 32, was a near perfect match for organ donation.
Back in April of 2001 Sean Clarke donated two-thirds of his liver so his mother could undergo a transplant. The operation was a success and mother and son remain in good health five years later.
"My son is my hero and without him I wouldn't be here today," said Clarke, a guest speaker Monday as the Irish Heritage Club of Sudbury and the province's Trillium Gift of Life Network officially kicked off Organ Donation Awareness Week across the country.
The local Irish Heritage Club has been promoting organ donor awareness for many years, while the Trillium Gift of Life Network is the provincial organization mandated to increase donation rates across the province.
Ontario has one of the lowest organ donation rates in the developed world.
The Irish Heritage Club's annual Organ Donor Awareness walk takes place this Saturday. The walk will take participants from Bell Park to the Four Corners and back. More than 500 people participated last year. Interested participants are asked to gather at the main entrance to Bell Park Saturday at 10:30 am.
Clarke said her son didn't hesitate to donate his liver once doctors confirmed he was a "99 percent match". There was a remarkable improvement to her health within only a few weeks and because the liver is capable of regenerating itself, Sean was back to full strength within three months, she said.
Clarke said it's crucial more Canadians sign organ donation cards and discuss their willingness to donate organs with loved ones.
"Having living donors is not the answer," she said. "It takes up too many medical resources, too many people remain sick and it's very traumatic for the donor and the recipient.
"It's far better that people sign their donor cards and provide the gift of life when their life ends."
Louise Scott was in tears telling the audience how her husband Howard helped prolong the life of four recipients following his death in December of 2004.
Her husband of 27 years donated both kidneys, his liver and the islets from his pancreas and all four recipients remain healthy because of her husband's donations, she said proudly.
"Knowing that my husband has been able to help four
people enjoy a prolonged life because of his generosity and
gift of life  is something I'm very proud of,"
said Scott. "I've been told all four recipients are
healthy and doing very well."
Organ donation is something she and her husband discussed on a
regular basis throughout their marriage, she said.
"We first talked about it just after we got married and we always maintained that if something bad were to happen, we'd go ahead and donate organs," she said. "When the terrible tragedy happened two years ago, I wasn't prepared for it, but I didn't have to think about donating his organs because this is what he wanted."
Scott has established a bursary fund at Lively Secondary School and one student each year who needs an organ transplant is assisted by the fund.
"Please sign your donor card and make your wishes about organ donation known to loved ones," Scott urged.
Jeff Stewart, a music teacher at Alexander Public School and organ recipient, brought the members of the Sudbury World Community Drum Circle he teaches to perform at Monday's event.
Stewart underwent successful kidney transplant surgery several years ago and says his donor allowed him a second chance at life he is thankful for each and every day.
There are 40 people in Greater Sudbury waiting for an organ transplant, almost 1,900 in Ontario and more than 4,000 across Canada, the vast majority needing new livers or kidneys.
The fact there were only 169 successful transplants in 2005 in a province of more than 12 million clearly emphasizes the need for more people to donate organs, said Brian Kellow, community relations officer for the Trillium Gift of Life Network.
The good news is organ donor rates are slowly increasing across Ontario and Canada, he said.
Kellow urged people to register with the Government of Ontario's Tissue and Organ Donation web site.
