A decision to donate can change a life—sometimes many.
As National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week comes to an end, Montrealers whose life changed thanks to the power of donation continue sharing their stories and their mission to increase awareness.
Over 4,000 Canadians are still waiting for a lifesaving transplant. Luisa Minaici was one of them two years ago.
Saved by a double kidney and liver transplant, Miniaci decided to give back by joining the Transplant Ambassador Program that brings together volunteers who share their experience as living kidney donors or transplant recipients.
“It’s a way to offer help to those that are making this decision to become a live-organ donor,” Minaici said. “We are here to help you out and we’re available.
Related:
The program was launched in Quebec at Montreal General Hospital (MUHC) on World Kidney Day on March 12, 2026, inspired by a similar program in Ontario.
“We’re totally run by organ recipients and organ donors so we’re glad to be here in Quebec and especially at the MUHC where we start hopefully we’ll expand throughout Quebec,” Minaici said.
Quebec siblings Christine and Serge Pisapia have been advocating for the program expansion in the province.
Serge was 32 years old when he was diagnosed with a disease that leads to kidney failure. Like many patients, he knew that his options would be either dialysis or a transplant.
When Serge got the diagnosis, Christine told him that she was going to donate one of her kidneys to him.
“I said, ‘No way. I’m going to put myself on the list, wait for somebody to die,’” he recalled, incorrectly assuming that Pisapia would be taking a risk by becoming a donor.
Serge said if he had met a transplant ambassador or a donor at the time and learned more about the donation process, he would have gone ahead with receiving the transplant. “I would have saved myself at least two years of dialysis.”
“That’s where you understand that for a donor, a living donor, this is as much as a gift for them than it is for the person who receives it,” Serge said.
Jonathan Vanderzon is also an ambassador for the program, after donating a kidney to a childhood friend.
“I went and I did my tests and I actually officiated his wedding and I was waiting on the last test to find out if I was able to donate so I didn’t tell him just yet,” Vanderzon said. “But I did also edit his wedding video so in November of 2023 I edited the video and at the end of the video I said surprise you’re getting my kidney.”
“We talk a lot about the big ask but what’s most important is the big tell and if your friends and family don’t know what’s happening with you then we don’t know if we can help you or that’s even an option,” Vanderzon added.
“So that’s the main reason why I joined (ambassador program) and hopefully we can change some lives.”
