Cassandra set an example for us all

Cassandra Brunshaw was only 18 years old when she made a seemingly minor decision that would one day improve the lives of people she would never know.

Cassandra was learning to drive in 2008 when the Ajax teen decided to sign up to be an organ and tissue donor at the same time as she received her licence.

Tragically, Cassandra died suddenly two months ago at age 34 from a previously unknown heart condition. Her death shocked and saddened her family, her friends and her co-workers at the Toronto Blue Jays organization, where she worked as assistant manager of box office and ticket support.

But within days of her death, at least two people whom Cassandra had never met — a child with leukemia and a blind person, as well as possibly two others — were all benefiting from the decision she made 15 years earlier.

Importantly, her story is a perfect example of how one person, even in death, can make a huge difference for others — saving and changing lives. It’s also a perfect case to show why there’s little excuse for most Canadians not to sign an organ donation card.

“Cassandra always was of mind that passing on organs would enable other people to better their health or prolong their life,” her father, Bob, recalled about why she signed her donor card.

I know both her parents and had met Cassandra several times over the years. I have worked closely for the last 15 years with her mother, Franca, who has been at the Star for 44 years in a variety of administrative positions. Cassandra’s father, Bob, is a 39-year veteran at the Star and currently is home delivery manager.

Cassandra loved all sports. She earned a degree in sports business management at Durham College and worked at Tennis Canada and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment before joining the Blue Jays organization in 2016. The team arranged for a moment of silence for Cassandra, with her photo on the jumbo screen, at the Rogers Centre before the evening’s game on the day she died. The Blue Jays even chartered a bus to take some of her co-workers to her funeral.

Within hours of Cassandra’s death, her parents started the process of matching her organs with possible recipients. They worked with Trillium Gift of Life, the Ontario agency that oversees organ and tissue donations in the province.

Her eyes went to a person who was blind and will now be able to see. Her bone marrow was used to help a child with leukemia at Sick-Kids hospital, an action that brought Cassandra’s parents to tears knowing that a young person can now potentially have a chance to live.

Also, her bones could be used to help another child with a cleft lip and her skin tissue could be helpful in healing a burn victim.

One donor can save up to eight lives and enhance up to 75 lives through the gift of tissue donations, according to data from the Ontario Health Media Team. Despite that, barely 35 per cent of Ontarians are registered donors. That percentage varies only slightly in other parts of Canada.

As of Nov. 27, there were 1,200 individuals on the donation waitlist in Ontario. That number has been fairly constant over the last three years. Across Canada, some 4,000 patients are waiting for an organ transplant.

It’s easy to become a donor. Anyone age 16 and older with a valid Ontario health care card can register their consent for organ and tissue donations.

Cassandra’s parents say they want to spread the word about the importance of organ donations. “Franca and I are extremely proud of her decision to donate her organs,” her dad says. “Why not give other people the opportunity to improve their own lives. Knowing that our organs can ‘live’ on is so important to acknowledge.”

For more information about organ and tissue donation in Ontario, please go to beadonor.ca. You could save a life.