Local Man Wants To See A Change For Health

Michael Gaudet a local man from the Watrous/Manitou Beach area is petitioning for changes to the current organ donor program in Saskatchewan.

Gaudet knows first hand what it's like to be faced with the need of an organ donor. When he was 19 he had to get a new kidney.

"I was at death's door when I was 19 years old, but when my brother donated a kidney within about a week he and I had both recuperated from the surgery."

37 years later and Gaudet now is on dialysis and is in need of another kidney. This has prompted him to look at the ways other places handle organ donors.

"In Saskatchewan, we have the lowest rate of deceased donors in the country, I think Ontario has the highest. And I think one of the reasons Ontario has the highest is because in the past several years there have been transplant-surgeons that have taken their message of 'one life many lives' to the schools. And the schools have embraced this and the students are taking this message home and discussing it over supper."

With the new idea of opt-out or implied consent, there would be education and advertisement so individuals would be very well aware.

The petition has over 4500 signatures already to attempt change the current organ donor program to an opt out or implied consent program.

Gaudet is a local artist who painted the mural at Young, Saskatchewan and has an artist shop at Manitou Beach.

The hope is to get 5000 signatures and then send the petition to:

If you would like to sign the petition you can do so here.