Melnyk on mission to boost organ donation

Eugene Melnyk has taken an active role in creating more awareness about organ donation.

The owner of the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club, who has called Barbados home since 1991, knows first-hand how difficult it is to get such a donation because he himself needed a liver transplant.

Melnyk recalled falling ill in January, 2015. He was referred to Dr Florence Wong at Toronto General Hospital to find out exactly what was wrong, and she ran a battery of tests.

“Two days later, in the middle of the night, I was awoken and told I need to be taken to the hospital immediately because tests revealed that my liver was failing. I was admitted to the hospital and told that I will need a full liver transplant,” he shared with The Barbados Advocate during a recent interview.

However, to get this vital organ, Melnyk was placed on a list for a deceased donor.

“Most people don’t realise that when a doctor tells you that you need a transplant, they put you on the list – the waiting list – and that wait can go on and on. The average wait for a liver is approximately 14 to 16 months. It is even longer for a kidney – you can wait eight to ten years, and that is in Ontario. That is what you are faced with,” he said, indicating that across Canada there is a very low rate of people donating their organs upon death.

“I was admitted to the hospital in mid-February. I went all of March, April into May, where every day the doctors said to me ‘sorry Euguene today is not our day, no organs are available’… In a deceased donor, they needed to have an exact match. I am AB Positive and ABs are one of the rarest of blood types – and no ABs were dying, therefore I wasn’t getting an organ. Actually, I only found out that when some of the doctors went home, they weren’t sure I would survive until the next morning.”
Melnyk’s medical condition quickly deteriorated as he continued to wait for the call that a donor liver was available.

With no other options left, his family and close friends urged him to allow them to make a public plea to find a live donor. However, up to that point he was extremely private about his illness.

The public appeal was made on his behalf at a news conference, with great assistance from the Senators.

More than 2 000 individuals responded to the call to donate part of their livers. Through examination, the 2 000 were trimmed to 200, and then 20. Less than a week later, an ideal match was identified from an anonymous donor.

“On May 19th, I thought it was going to be a typical day. I thought the doctors would say what they usually did – ‘Sorry, today is not our day’. But, they said ‘Eugene, it’s our day’…I was delighted, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing,” he recalled with a laugh.

Hours after, Melnyk had the 11- hour procedure that saved his life.

“God bless them,” he expressed.

The Organ Project
After a long recovery, the businessman is re-energised, healthier than he has been in years, and being so grateful for a second chance at life, he is hoping to help others seeking organ transplants.

“The anxiety comes from not knowing if you are going to get a liver, because you know the statistics are that 30 per cent of the people in line will die every year. There are 4 500 people on a waiting list in Canada. Those are the lucky ones that are at least on the list, because many people don’t even get on the list because they know it’s a false hope – they would not get the organ needed,” he explained.

In light of this, Melnyk founded “The Organ Project” in Canada, which aims to save lives by ending the organ transplant wait list.

It is believed that the one thing every single person in Canada can do is make sure that there are enough donors. Therefore, the Organ Project will work with the federal and provincial governments and organ transplantation agencies to make traditional registration easier, efficient and more accessible.

He explained to The Barbados Advocate that the liver, lungs, heart, kidneys, pancreas, small intestine, eyes, as well as tissues can be donated after a person has passed away .

“We have a website – theorganproject.net. Persons can register in less than two minutes in any of the provinces in Canada. If someone chooses to become a donor, they can select the box indicating the organ they are willing to donate, or select the “all” option, meaning all eight. Persons are never under an obligation to actually do this – they can take themselves off the registry as easily as they put themselves on. But, if they remain on, they must tell family members that they want their organs donated.

“When they become a donor, they are giving the gift of life to somebody else. We found in our research that people who have donated – it lessens their family’s mourning; lessens the grief. The reason for that is they take solace in the fact that their loved one has been able to live in multiple people,” he observed.

Additionally, the Organ Project will undertake campaigns to encourage a viral movement of organ donation awareness.

Melnyk revealed that a commercial and upgraded website will be launched on March 31, 2017 during The Organ Project inaugural Gala, which is aimed at raising proceeds for the initiative. This event will be held at the Fairmont Royal York, Toronto, featuring a performance by world-famous country singer Carrie Underwood and other special guests.

Looking ahead
“I am working towards having an international registration…It is a legislation I am hoping to introduce initially in Ontario, then eventually across Canada, the United States will follow right behind, as well as the rest of the world,” Melnyk disclosed, highlighting the “You’re in or You’re out” organ donation system, which is currently in approximately a dozen countries.

“It’s a system whereby if you’re not registered as a donor, don’t expect to be a recipient from a donor,” he explained.

Melnyk, who also has successful projects here on the island, believes that local surgeons can learn how to perform transplants.

“It’s now becoming a very commonplace procedure. Any good surgeon can learn very quickly,” he indicated, adding “They may not be able to do the more complex ones, but they certainly can do the liver, the kidney – it just takes training for them to do it.”