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saturday may 3 2003 31 1 economist sun stoufmlle suntribune heart i i i myclietteh never gjaveym to organ donation until her daughter needed a bdneyx bylisa queen staff writer g f the law of averages is correct mychelle hardings donated kidney bought her sickriaughter 12 years that means five years after the trans plant from mother to daughter almost half f the warranty on the i kidney has expired the mean age is 12 years before a donat ed organ runs out said ms harding an aurora mother whose daughter alia lives with her father arid two brothers in calgary its like a used tire you put used tires oh your car the tread is going to give out faster my daughter will need another trans plant in me future but i dont have any inore kidneys to give her fiim my daughter will need another transplant in the future but dont have any more kidneys to give her although alia has lived with her mothers kidney since 1998 ms harding explained recipients always live with the fear their bod ies will reject the donated organ my daughter forever has to be on med ications to trick her body into believing its her kidney she said xojlfto rejectsome- isnt your own mshairding admits there was a time in ner life when she wouldnt have even have ll sighed an organ donation card let alone consider being a live donor i myself didnt sign my card until it was in my family ifs easy to put something off if it doesnt apply to you she said then when i found out alia needed a kidney there wasnt a second thought it was justitis going tobe me unless the doctors tell me otherwise these days as founder and executive director of transitions chronic ninesstrarisplant society ms harding strives to encourage people to recognize the staff photomike barrett mychelle harding had mis card made up ah the healthcare workers involyedinthe transplant in which she gave a ladrieyto her daughter alia i importance of organ and tissue donation i think lifein general is about sharing and transitions is about sharing as well so i make that connection your life is enhanced whenever you share love laughter food r whatever she said 1 1 i just get so passionate when i talk about this this is my passion organ and tissue donation saves lives ms harding founded her organization i devoted to education support and advocacy with a 180000 government grant after ideal- trig with albertas healthcare system while goirig through frustration of the transplant process although she had an interest in medicine and is now studying toward a diploma in pharmacy ms harding said the process can be overwhelrriing for people especially if v they have no healthcare background or dont understand the importance of being their own advocates my main reason for starting this up is i dont want anybody to go through what i went through after hearing from others v know im not the only one she said i dont know everything but i can cer tainly be a voice for people i really wanted to convey to people trn here for you because i know what its like i the first phase of her organizations earn- paigh ended in 2001 when her funding ran r out but ms harding is now looking for com munity support to helplaunch the second phase the next phase will include public educat tionbf organ and tissue donation coupled with the tbeing a kid childrens initiative thecampaign will give a voice to young sters uving with chronic illness before and after their transplants kids eat live arid breathe their illness 5 said ms harding who plans to develop a website and a video for chronically ill chil- dren we need to give these mds an outlet and connect them so theyknow theyre not the onlyones v she is well awarebf the emotional roller- coaster organ doriationcari be for families a lot of times during the transplant process you feel completely alone brie researcher discovered in families where a member is living with a chronic ill ness fanily breakdown rates hover around 80 per cent a lot of times during the transplant processyoix feel completely alone men and vworrieri react differently to the stresses siblings of ill children are drawn into the ill ness even though theres nothing wong with them ms harding said 7 ikriowinmycase after dpriating my kidney i got depressed i bawled my eyes but i wasnt needed anyriiore people going through this need the emotibrial support of someone who has been there despite the challenges of organ and lis- sue donation ms harding believes ftunilies can thrive following a transplant hopefully i can provide a ray of hope because im still smiling my daughter is doirigwell for more information about transitions call ms harding at 9058419530 for more information about organ arid tissue donation visit thejrillium giftofufe network website at wwwgifoflifeonca or ie t canadian transplant association at wwworgahdonationwbrks6rg bm f fifth vnhul art uciari and silehtuctioh hosted by the varley yoluriteer committee mi roanvain th bton date i vednesclayf may 7 2003 preview 530 700 pm location angus glen golf cliib1008g kennedy road markham price 4000 complimentary wine hors doeuvresbuffet k fbrtickets call 905477 9511 ext 221226 presenting sponsor e z 1 promotional 1 sponsor iv i our thahfelb fi mmmmsmpmmi