On May 8th 2016(mothers day) on the Coquihalla highway in British Columbia the wife of Police Constable Ray Athwal had a major heart attack in front of her two children (11 and 13 years old). Ray is also a Member of the Roughneck Motorcycle Club attached to the British Columbia Chapter.
The months following have been life changing for the Athwal family. Vinday was just 43 years old when this occurred. Ray is a close personal friend of mine and a man I consider a brother.
On November 7th 2016 I found out that his loving wife Vinday was in desperate need of a heart transplant. She was placed on the transplant wait list in British Columbia. After hearing Ray’s heart wrenching news It’s hard was hard to admit that I was not a donor, I imagined being in his shoes knowing that 9 our 10 people in British Columbia are in favour of organ donation but only 2 out of 10 are actually registered.
I can assume the numbers a very similar here in Ontario.That same day I attended Service Ontario and became a donor. We all know how fragile life is and we all know how painful loosing someone is. The gift of life is absolutely the right thing to do and one of the most precious and selfless acts we could do for someone.
In Ontario; donor registration used to be attached to our Drivers Licenses, this has since changed without notice. The donor registration is now attached to our Health Cards and if you were previously registered as a donor via your Driver license you ARE NO LONGER a registered donor.
Ray is also a member of the Delta Police Department in British Columbia and this personal experience has prompted him to raise awareness for organ donation in BC. Please have a look at the attached poster that is being distributed throughout the Delta Police Department and British Columbia. So please consider registering and giving the ultimate gift, the gift of life.
You can easily register to be an organ donor by attending your local Service Ontario office or via https://www.ontario.ca/page/organ-and-tissue-donor-registration
Thank you and please feel free to share this email and post with family, friends, coworkers and acquaintances.
Tank
Vice President
Roughnecks MC
Toronto Chapter
Thank you for sharing our story to help raise awareness, for registering as an organ donor yourself and for helping us to raise organ donor registration rates across our country.
ReplyDeleteRaman & Vinday Athwal
You are more than welcome Brother!
DeleteMy family and I have been organ donors since it was possible to do so, it would have been the late seventies.
ReplyDeleteLater in life my Mother was an organ recipient, it allowed her to see her Grandsons (the lights of her life) grow to be young men.
In my opinion, not to register as an organ donor is among the most selfish things one can do, by registering as an organ donor, you can give someone a life the might not otherwise have.
Rod MacLeod
Thank you for your support Rod!
Delete