Mr. Speaker, in 2023, there were 3,428 organ transplants performed in Canada, with 184 of them being heart transplants. There were 132 people awaiting a heart transplant and 13 people passed away while waiting for a donor in 2023.
The data for 2024 is not out yet, but thanks to a donor, my sister Ann will be one of this year's statistics for individuals who received a heart transplant. On January 9, the transplant team, coordinated by Grant Fisher at University Hospital, saved my sister's life.
On behalf of my family, I would like to thank the following people, who have made us all believe in miracles: the heart transplant team, with Dr. Smith, Dr. Davey and Dr. De; the fifth-floor cardiac ICU; the fourth-floor transplant ICU; physiotherapists Kristin Morris and Tracy Fuller; and social worker Heather Sadler. To the surgeon, Dr. Dave Nagpal, the team has changed our family's lives.
By August, my sister saw both her son and her daughter get married, and soon, Ann will be able to watch her granddaughter, Collins, meet her new cousin. None of this would have been possible if it was not for a donor.
To Ann's heart donor, and to their family, I thank them so much. Anyone can be a donor. Please give the gift of life.