I have to admit, this is my first civic election. More accurately, this is the first civic election where I will vote. Kind of embarrassing when I admit that I am old enough to have voted in several civic elections by this point in my life.
So why vote now? Could be because I'm a home owner now. Perhaps it's because I'm a mother. Is it because I'm a journalism student? I think it's a little bit of each.
One thing for certain is that I am far more concerned with how my city is run now than I ever have been before and that alone is reason to vote.
I've spent a lot of time researching the candidates for council. In particular I've been talking to Heather McIntyre, a candidate running in Ward 2. She reminded me about the trouble of voter apathy in civic elections. I'm excited about this election but as I've already admitted, this is my first civic election. She also said that she thinks civic politics is the level of politics that probably affects people the most. There is no doubt that city politics shape our day to day, every day.
Makes it all the more depressing that historically voter turnout in Regina civic elections is very low. I would know, this is my first vote.
Go vote. It's your community.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
We've got them but we don't often give them
The need for organ donors is high in Saskatchewan. The province is not alone. Nation wide there is demand for healthy organs but yet the number of donors is not increasing.
In Saskatchewan individuals can indicate their desire to be an organ donor by putting a sticker on their health card and completing a short consent card. Do that, and you are on your way to being an organ donor. I say 'on your way' because even that step does not ensure your organs will be used upon your death. It is more complex than that.
The more important step is talking to your family. It is critical that your next of kin be notified of your desire to be an organ donor in the event of your death. Sounds simple enough but in reality most people don't have that conversation. The reason is simple - we are not a society that likes to talk about death.
This lack of conversation is one of the major reasons the number of organ donors stays low in Saskatchewan. Our province is not alone. In fact, with around 14 organ donors per year, Saskatchewan actually matches or exceeds the national average. Issues such as cultural beliefs, lack of knowledge, religious beliefs and trauma resulting from death also greatly affect the number of organ donors.
With the number of donors staying low, the number of recipients continues to grow. Researching this issue I had the opportunity to speak with Tara Griffiths, a registered nurse who works as a transplant coordinator. She was able to help me understand the challenges in the process of organ donation. A big obstacle is that there is no mandatory reporting of death in Saskatchewan. That means that if someone has died or is about to die, the transplant team is not contacted to discuss organ donation options with the family. The responsibility to indicate desire for organ donation usually falls entirely upon the family. In times of great stress this is a great responsibility to place on family.
Education is key in upping the donor numbers. This is an area Griffiths and her team focus on. With education there is hope that more people will consider having that critical conversation about their wishes to donate in the event of death. It's not an easy conversation but it's critical for saving lives of the hundreds of people on donor wait lists.
Rod McDonald is waiting for a kidney. Speaking with him really put it all in perspective. His life is changing quickly as he waits for a kidney. A formerly very active individual, he now sleeps for up to 16 hours a day. He is also on dialysis every day. He needs a kidney and knows his wait will likely be at least two years long. It's a daunting reality. He has developed what he calls 'gallows humour' to get through the process. He has learned to laugh at the very long and often painful process of being on the kidney donor list.
I personally have signed my donor card. I signed it years ago and I wondered if I was an anomaly so I decided to talk to a few people. Turns out I am. It's not that the majority of the people I spoke with were against being donors, they just hadn't thought about it. In some cases with the younger people I spoke with, they didn't even know being an organ donor was an option. They literally had no idea.
McDonald even admitted to not having signed his donor card in the past. He sees the irony in that and like the other people I spoke to, it was simply something he never thought about until it became his reality.
He really encourages people to think about being a donor and giving what he calls the "gift of life."
In Saskatchewan individuals can indicate their desire to be an organ donor by putting a sticker on their health card and completing a short consent card. Do that, and you are on your way to being an organ donor. I say 'on your way' because even that step does not ensure your organs will be used upon your death. It is more complex than that.
The more important step is talking to your family. It is critical that your next of kin be notified of your desire to be an organ donor in the event of your death. Sounds simple enough but in reality most people don't have that conversation. The reason is simple - we are not a society that likes to talk about death.
This lack of conversation is one of the major reasons the number of organ donors stays low in Saskatchewan. Our province is not alone. In fact, with around 14 organ donors per year, Saskatchewan actually matches or exceeds the national average. Issues such as cultural beliefs, lack of knowledge, religious beliefs and trauma resulting from death also greatly affect the number of organ donors.
With the number of donors staying low, the number of recipients continues to grow. Researching this issue I had the opportunity to speak with Tara Griffiths, a registered nurse who works as a transplant coordinator. She was able to help me understand the challenges in the process of organ donation. A big obstacle is that there is no mandatory reporting of death in Saskatchewan. That means that if someone has died or is about to die, the transplant team is not contacted to discuss organ donation options with the family. The responsibility to indicate desire for organ donation usually falls entirely upon the family. In times of great stress this is a great responsibility to place on family.
Education is key in upping the donor numbers. This is an area Griffiths and her team focus on. With education there is hope that more people will consider having that critical conversation about their wishes to donate in the event of death. It's not an easy conversation but it's critical for saving lives of the hundreds of people on donor wait lists.
Rod McDonald is waiting for a kidney. Speaking with him really put it all in perspective. His life is changing quickly as he waits for a kidney. A formerly very active individual, he now sleeps for up to 16 hours a day. He is also on dialysis every day. He needs a kidney and knows his wait will likely be at least two years long. It's a daunting reality. He has developed what he calls 'gallows humour' to get through the process. He has learned to laugh at the very long and often painful process of being on the kidney donor list.
I personally have signed my donor card. I signed it years ago and I wondered if I was an anomaly so I decided to talk to a few people. Turns out I am. It's not that the majority of the people I spoke with were against being donors, they just hadn't thought about it. In some cases with the younger people I spoke with, they didn't even know being an organ donor was an option. They literally had no idea.
McDonald even admitted to not having signed his donor card in the past. He sees the irony in that and like the other people I spoke to, it was simply something he never thought about until it became his reality.
He really encourages people to think about being a donor and giving what he calls the "gift of life."
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