Valerie Young of North Bay knows what it's like to desperately need an organ transplant.
She was born with a hole in her heart and had just a single valve. Doctors tried open heart surgery to repair the damage while she was a teenager, and it helped...for a few years.
But a couple of years ago Valerie's heart again started to fail.
She was tired all the time, felt dizzy and nauseated and had a hard time working.
She was transferred to Toronto to await surgery.
"I waited in Toronto for a year," she told BayToday this morning. "I was in hospital for four months before I received my transplant, March 31st last year."
It was a tough road to walk.
"It was very hard because I'm a single Mom with a teenage son. I had just bought a home...and all of a sudden I'm getting sick. I had to leave my home, leave my child, so it was very, very hard for me."
Her family reacted with shock to the news.
"They knew that I had a bad heart but I don't think they really thought it through to the point that I would need a heart transplant."
That's why she was taking part in the flag raising at City Hall this morning for the Trillium Gift of Life Network.
"It's so important for everybody to make sure you are an organ donor. When you go, bless your soul, your organs are not needed by you, but they will be needed by other people, for other single moms, for other young people that need and deserve the chance to live. Please sign up to be an organ donor."
The Trillium Gift of Life Network is a not-for-profit agency of the Government of Ontario, with branches across the province.
It plans, promotes, coordinates and supports organ and tissue donation and transplantation. Its mission is to save and enhance lives through the gift of organ and tissue donation and transplantation in Ontario.
April is BEADONOR month and the third week of April is the focus week for organ and tissue donor registration awareness.
The group is hosting events throughout North Bay during this month, including booths set up at the North Bay Mall, Northgate Shopping Centre, and the North Bay Regional Health Centre.
North Bay is currently 23% above the provincial average for organ/tissue donations, sitting at 54% vs 31% in Ontario.
Organ donation cards in your wallet are no longer valid. Beadonor.ca is the only way to confirm registration on the donor list. It only takes 2 minutes to register on line.
Currently, there are over 1,600 people in Ontario waiting for a lifesaving transplant. You are never too old or too ill to register your consent to donate.