Marilyn Bruzzese and Denise Mulholland have been best friends since 1962 – for over 50 years.
Now they are something more. When Mulholland developed kidney disease and had to go on dialysis, Bruzzese became a living donor – giving Mulholland one of her healthy kidneys.
“Being a living donor was an amazing experience,” said Bruzzese.
“I’m feeling very blessed,” said Mulholland. “Our lives have just got richer, now that I’ve got my health back.”
The friends celebrate every year, on the anniversary of the transplant – going ziplining, attending a Donny Osmond concert, and participating in other special activities.
“We’ve done so much together. I’m just grateful every day,” said Mulholland.
The friends shared their story at the flag raising for National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week in Bradford – the first time the municipality has officially recognized Organ Donation Week, April 21-27, with a proclamation and flag raising.
BWG Mayor Rob Keffer spoke of the importance of organ and tissue donation, citing statistics that more than 1,500 Ontarians are on a wait list for a transplant – and every three days, someone on that list dies before a match can be found.
And while one in three Ontarians has registered to be an organ donor, in Bradford West Gwillimbury the rate is only 27 per cent.
“It’s amazing, the personal stories we’re hearing today,” said Keffer, noting organ and tissue donations “touch the lives of people in the community in so many ways.”
He urged residents to register as donors at beadonor.ca.
“Let’s be over the provincial average by next year,” he said.
Coun. Raj Sandhu, who helped arrange Saturday's flag raising at the Bradford Courthouse, also cited statistics – that a recent survey found 90 per cent of respondents supported organ donation, but only 20 per cent had registered as donors, “which tells us we have a lot more work to do.”
Sandhu acknowledged that when his son announced that he had signed his donor card, “my wife and I were upset. We didn’t understand … Then he explained, and it’s a wonderful thing."
Joe Gucciardi wasn’t a perfect match for daughter, Juliana, when she needed a kidney transplant. Instead, he and Juliana registered for a “donor pool” – which meant that two years ago he travelled to Montreal to donate a kidney to a better-matched recipient, then saw his daughter undergo surgery in Richmond Hill as she received a kidney from another donor.
They attended the flag raising, wearing T-shirts from the annual Kidney Walk in Richmond Hill, hoping to raise awareness of the life-changing and life-saving importance of organ donation.
There was also a personal connection for Ross and Reneka Ferrari, who wore the official T-shirts of the Canadian Transplant Association’s April 7 Green Shirt Day, with the message, “Humboldt Strong – Logan Boulet effect.”
Boulet was a 21-year-old member of the Humboldt Broncos, critically injured in the deadly bus crash one year ago. He was one of 16 members of the team who lost their lives – but just weeks before, he had signed his organ donor card. As a result, his organs benefited six people, and his gift inspired more than 100,000 Canadians to sign up as organ donors.
Three years ago, Reneka Ferreri, diagnosed with liver cancer, received a life-saving liver transplant.
