Finding solace

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This article was published 12/11/2016 (3412 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When Lisa Boyd talks about her son, Tyler Klassen, two things become immediately clear: how much she loved her boy, and how much she misses him.

Tyler, 16, was killed in a car accident last month. He lost control of his car when he hit a patch of gravel on a road near Steinbach. It was daytime, and he was wearing a seatbelt. RCMP confirmed to Boyd that alcohol and speed were not factors and that he wasn’t on his phone. It was just a freak accident, a bolt from the blue.

His mother’s grief is fresh; it’s written on her face. But she wants to focus on the bit of good that has come out of this tragedy: Tyler was an organ donor.

Over coffee, Boyd recalls the conversation they had several months ago, when he got a donor card along with his beginners licence. “He said, ‘Hey mom, you need to sign this because I’m not over 18.’ I asked him, ‘You know what that means, right, when you pass away? When you’re 90, and you pass away?” She gives a sad laugh.

That Tyler would want to be an organ donor didn’t come as too much of a surprise. He was a thoughtful kid who always looked out for others — especially his younger sister, Breanna, with whom he was very close. He was on his school’s welcoming committee, helping new students find their classes. Younger kids looked up to him.

“I told him (becoming a donor) was awesome, because he’d live on in others. And that’s what he thought, too.”

Boyd never thought she’d have to carry out those wishes, and the days following the accident were among the hardest she’ll ever know. “In a weird way it was a slight blessing because he wasn’t just gone at the site,” she says. “We could actually see him.” Because he was kept on life-support to keep his organs alive until recipients were found, she ended up getting four extra days with him to say goodbye. “It was tough but, four days.”

Tyler’s heart and lungs were too damaged to be donated, but his kidneys, liver, pancreas, eyes, muscles, bones and tissue have helped more than 45 people. His eyes alone helped seven people.

“I feel good about that,” she says. “It happened, so, I feel good that it was his choice. I think that as parents, as hard as it was, we honoured him by doing that. There was nothing to do but honour his wishes.”

In the weeks following Tyler’s death, Boyd has received many messages of support. “It’s amazing how many people have been touched.” (If you want to send a note of encouragement to Lisa and Breanna, mail it to Box 12, GRP 2, RR1, Steinbach, Man., R5G 1L9.)

Boyd is hoping that by sharing this story, more people will be inspired to become organ donors.

Every province has an opt-in system for organ donation, which means you must register to become an organ donor. Right now, Manitoba has the lowest registered rate of organ donors in Canada. That doesn’t mean Manitobans don’t support organ and tissue donation, it’s just that they either haven’t registered online or carry an untraceable paper card.

In 2012, Manitoba made the process of opting in easier by introducing an online registry for organ donation. As of Nov. 8, 16,737 Manitobans had registered on SignUpForLife.ca. But even with the advent of online registration, the number of donors remains comparatively low; 16,737 is roughly 1.3 per cent of the province’s population.

With that in mind, Canada would do well to consider adopting an opt-out donor system, which presumes everyone is an organ donor unless they specify otherwise. Countries with opt-out systems, such as Austria and Spain, have higher rates of donation. Higher rates of donation mean more available organs — and mean more lives saved.

In either system, the ultimate decision lies with the family of the deceased. Registering to become a donor — or opting not to become one — is just one part of the process. Your wishes also need to be communicated to your family. And, in either system, the possibility of organ donation is only considered after all life-saving measures have failed.

In Manitoba, there are about 200 people waiting for a kidney and another 20 people waiting for a heart, lung or liver. About 4,500 Canadians are waiting for a transplant, and 250 die while on the waiting list each year.

Tyler ended the wait for 45 people.

“I’m extremely proud of him,” Boyd says.

jen.zoratti@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @JenZoratti