Bella Brave’s story kept alive through organ and tissue awareness campaign

Saskatchewan is marking April with a campaign promoting organ and tissue donation, highlighting stories from donors and recipients. Damian Smith reports.

Saskatchewan is dedicating the month of April to raise awareness of organ and tissue donations across the province.

The province revealed a new awareness campaign this week, highlighting stories of those who were impacted by the organ and tissue donation process.

Among them was the story of the late social media star Bella Thomson, also known as “Bella Brave.”

At age 10, Bella underwent a successful bowel transplant after waiting years for an organ donation. However, she passed away nearly one year later due to an unrelated health complication.

Her mother Kyla Thomson has continued to honour Bella’s legacy along with the rest of her family by advocating for the organ and tissue donation.

“Bella’s journey showed us just how life-changing organ donation can be,” Kyla said.

“We were given more time with her because of a donor’s generosity, and that’s something our family will always be grateful for. By sharing her story, we hope more people will register and have these important conversations so other families can be given the gift of life.”

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The province also shared the story of Kevin Wesaquate, who spends his time creating paintings to honour organ donors. Wesaquate’s advocacy stems from him losing his mother, who was on the transplant waitlist.

“My mom always encouraged me to draw, to practice, and to try harder with my writing,” he said. “Throughout my youth, growing up here in Regina, I’ve had the opportunity to kind of just work on [my] skills. My mom was a huge advocate for giving youth a safe place to be.”

The province also spotlighted Monica Keet, a donor coordinator with the Saskatchewan Health Authority. Keet has been a large advocate for registration at givelifesask.ca. The Give Life Sask campaign was launched in 2020.

“By sharing the compelling and touching personal stories of Kyla, Kevin and Monica, we are determined to continue building awareness about organ and tissue donation and what Saskatchewan people can do to help,” said Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill. “Over 33,000 residents have registered at givelifesask.ca but we are committed to continue growing the registry and raising awareness of its importance.”

The Government of Saskatchewan said it provides more than $4.3 million in annual funding to support the provincial Organ and Tissue Donor Program.

“Since the registry was launched five years ago, donor awareness has continued to grow, and in 2023 Saskatchewan achieved the highest rate of deceased organ donors in Canada,” Cockrill said.

“While rates can fluctuate year to year, we remain focused on building on that strong foundation and working with the public to continue this progress.”

The ministry also says that about 100 people are waiting for a lifesaving kidney transplant, and hundreds are waiting for ocular tissue surgery. They’re asking for as many registrations as possible, as there is a one to two per cent chance that a person may be eligible.

“I know some people think that you sign up for that registry and you can be an organ donor when you die, but you actually do have to pass away in a very specific way,” said Monica Keet, the donor coordinator for the Saskatchewan Health Authority. “You have to be on a ventilator, on a breathing machine in the ICU, or maybe in an emergency, or later moved to ICU.”

The province said as long as a family has a “clear understanding” of their loved one’s wishes, it’s easier for them to make the decision on whether or not to donate if they’re first approached by a donor coordinator.

The province also says that one organ donor can save up to eight lives, and one tissue donor can help up to 75 people.

Anyone over 16 years of age is eligible to register their decision to become an organ and tissue donor, and more information of the donor process can be found here.