March 26, 2024 (Toronto, ON) – Did you know that Canada still has one of the worst organ and tissue donor rates of all developing countries? This is what the David Foster Foundation hopes to change this April for National Organ & Tissue Donation Awareness Month by raising awareness about the critical need to become a registered organ donor.

The David Foster Foundation is a national non-profit Canadian charitable organization that was founded by 16-time Grammy award winning producer David Foster, who started the Foundation after a request from his mother. The Foundation is dedicated to providing financial support for non-medical expenses to Canadian families with children in need of pediatric organ transplants. Over the past 38 years, the Foundation has assisted over 1,450 families with children in need of life-saving organ transplants and provided much-needed dollars in direct family support.

“Would you take two minutes to help save a life? That is what I am asking every Canadian,” said David Foster, Founder and Chairman, David Foster Foundation. “Organ donation is more than a gesture; it can be your legacy. We are all the key to making a positive change.”

Some interesting Canadian organ donor facts and numbers to be aware of:

• Over 4,000 Canadians are currently waiting for a life-saving organ transplant.
• Of those on the wait-list,the number of deaths work out to roughly 5 deaths per week and 1 death every 30 hours, all which could be avoided.
• 1 organ donor can save up to 8 lives and improve the quality of life for up to 75 people.
• From living donors, over 50% were from relatives and friends while the remaining were from unrelated donors.
• Of the total transplants conducted, roughly 59% were kidney, 20% liver, 12% lung, 5% heart, 2% pancreas and 2% combination transplants. 
• You are 6x more likely to need a transplant than to become an organ donor.
• DFF supported 29% of Canadian families whose child received a liver, kidney, heart or lung transplant in 2022.

“This is an important month for all of us to draw awareness to and the alarming numbers show the urgent need for organ donation,” added HCol. Michael Ravenhill, Chief Executive Officer, David Foster Foundation. “Just ask yourself, what if it was your life that needed to be saved? Let’s spread the message together.”

To give you an example of the countless families that The David Foster Foundation has helped fund for the unexpected financial burdens that arose for the struggling family as they awaited a donor, the have a number of Family Stories on their web site. These stories include one about a boy named Nate, who has been struggling with intestinal failure since birth, and would need to be listed for a life-saving transplant. You can read Nate’s and other full transplant stories at: https://davidfosterfoundation.com/families/. While they share a number of great success stories, there are a number of additional families that still need support.

There are multiple ways for Canadians to support people on the wait-list, including:

• Visit us at www.davidfosterfoundation.com to see how you can help,
• Talk to their loved ones about organ donation and register to become an organ donor,
• Follow @TheDavidFosterFoundation on Facebook, @davidfosterfdn on Twitter and @davidfosterfoundation on Instagram for the latest news and stories from the families we have helped,
• Share your support via social media by using the hashtag #DFFNOTDAM.