20% of all transplants in Canada are performed at UHN

700 transplants are performed at UHN each year

2x the number of lung transplants performed at Toronto each year because of Ex Vivo

Organ transplantation is nothing short of a miracle, allowing us to give people hope for survival when their vital organs fail.

But the difficult reality is that not every donated organ is healthy enough to be used or compatible with the recipient.

As a result, thousands of potential organs are lost… as are the lives that depend on them.

That changes now.

Thanks to the forward-thinking generosity of our supporters, TeamUHN has developed a new technology known as the Toronto Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion System (EVLP).

Through EVLP, we’re able to repair damaged donor lungs, helping patients breathe easy again. We can treat diseased hearts, turning them into healthy organs that will pump for years to come. We can preserve livers and kidneys for longer, giving medical teams time to transport them to the people who need them most.

EVLP can also be used to change a donor organ’s blood type, making every transplant a better match for each patient.

Until now, patients have only been able to receive organs compatible with their blood type, greatly limiting their options when it comes to donor organs.

For patients with rare blood types, the situation is even more dire. While they wait for a compatible organ, their symptoms can grow worse, and their quality of life can decrease. Tragically, sometimes a compatible match doesn’t arrive in time.

Together, we are giving patients a second chance at life.