Saint-Bruno woman calls attention to the importance of organ and tissue donation

A Quebec woman is drawing attention to the importance of organ donation after a sight-saving cornea transplant.

Seven months after receiving a cornea transplant, Marie-Joel Lalonde is seeing the world around her in a whole new light.

“The possibility for me to receive a cornea really changed me and gave me a second life,” she said.

The mother of three young boys was travelling through Indonesia with her family last summer, when she contracted an aggressive bacterial eye infection.

Lalonde ended up in the hospital and completely lost her vision in her right eye.

Back in Canada, Lalonde was told she would need a cornea transplant.

“After a month of treatments, the graft was really necessary because the infection was too strong.”

Her transplant surgery happened in September, in coordination with Hema-Quebec’s tissue bank.

The organization handles most tissue donations in the province, which includes corneas, skin, bones, tendons, and even heart valves.

“We leave behind sometimes very healthy pieces of yourself, that could help other people like Marie-Joel to go on in their life,” said Hema-Quebec spokesperson Josee Larivée.

She says most people don’t like to think about their death, but if someone wants to donate their organs or tissue, there are steps they need to take while they’re alive.

Larivée says potential donors should sign the organ donor sticker on the back of their health card. Anyone who doesn’t have the sticker can order one from the Hema-Quebec website.

She adds that it’s equally important to have a conversation with family, to make sure they’re aware of your donation wishes.

“Otherwise, if your family was not aware of your desire and is in shock, well, they may say no to Hema-Quebec and then Hema-Quebec will not process the collection of your tissues,” Larivée explained.

She said you can also get specific with your wishes, if there are certain organs or tissues you would prefer not to donate.

Lalonde says she is amazed and thankful for the chain of events that had to line up perfectly for her to receive a transplant.

She is still on the road to recovery, but every day she thinks about the stranger who gave her the gift of sight and a new lease on life.

“Every day, I’m telling myself I have the possibility to live my life to the fullest because of that cornea.”