Local man pushes for national organ donation opt-out program

Image of Nick Seebruch
By Nick Seebruch
Local man pushes for national organ donation opt-out program
MP Eric Duncan (left) with Myles Lynch. Submitted photo.

CORNWALL, Ontario – Stormont, Dundas and South Glengarry MP Eric Duncan is partnering with one of his constituents to push for a national organ donation opt-out program.

St. Andrews West resident Myles Lynch lives with cystic fibrosis and has had three lung transplants in the last five years, a first in Canada.

READ MORE: Local lung transplant survivor showcases his storytelling talents

Lynch acknowledges that he was exceptionally lucky in being able to get his transplant and that thousands of Canadians are on a long donation wait list.

In my case, I was fortunate enough to have had 3 organ transplants over the last 5 years, but for every exceptional case like mine, there are many others whose time runs about before a good match can be found. I felt it important for me to try and do whatever I can to help many more, and the creation of a national opt-out program could save thousands of lives per year for generations to come” said Lynch.

According to Duncan’s office, there are over 4,500 Canadians currently waiting for an organ transplant, and that last year, 260 Canadians died while waiting for a donation.

Lynch is organizing a petition to urge the federal government to start a national opt-out program for organ and tissue donation, meaning that Canadians would automatically be registered as donors unless they choose to opt-out.

“I believe a key role as a Member of Parliament is to connect constituents with resources to advocate for issues that are important to them. Myles’ life story is inspiring and I am happy to help him raise awareness on a cause very personal to him”, said Duncan.

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