In April, Matt Thompson, a restaurant owner, is raising funds and increasing awareness about organ donation.
“(We're going to) contribute 25 cents for every oyster sold after 6:00 p.m. throughout the month,” Thompson, who owns Smitty’s Oyster House in Vancouver, told Global’s This is BC.
“We sell a lot of oysters.”
Two years ago Thompson received a life-saving liver transplant after suffering from Stage-4 liver disease due to years of alcoholism.
“You gradually deteriorate to a point where you can’t walk, and you can’t use your hands. Even mental function goes away,” Thompson added. “You know you’re dying. You’re very aware of it,” he said.
“I feel like I want to repay my surgery. As long as I'm alive and in business and able to help, I'll raise money.”
As the illness worsened, Thompson’s family and friends anxiously awaited a donor to be identified, a situation many British Columbians are currently dealing with.
“My stepfather has become increasingly sick from pulmonary fibrosis and he is now in need of a double lung transplant,” Thompson’s friend and business colleague Jayme Strickland said.
“I hope that we get the same outcome Matt had.”
Elaine Young with BC Transplant said personal stories like Thompson’s are important.
“It makes organ donation tangible for people and that’s when people can really start to think about the type of impact they want to have at the time of their passing and the kind of legacy they want to leave behind,” she said.
With new plans for the future, this month’s fundraiser is another step Thompson is taking to try and make a difference.
He’s hoping his story serves as a reminder of the importance of organ donor registration.
“It saves people, it saves children, it saves families,” Thompson said.
“It’s amazing research that helps advance organ donations so that people live. It’s incredible.”
You can find out more about registering as an organ donor at the BC Transplant website.
