Family saved by organ donors encourages registration

Morgan Hurt shares a birthday with her grandfather, Bruce Rand – but it’s the fact both have received life-saving organ donations that has really solidified their special bond.

“I think the universe always had a plan for us to be close,” she said.

In recognition of Organ Donation Month, the pair shared their story with CTV News.

 

The Granddaughter

Hurt became sick with a rare kidney disease when she was two years old.

She said her memories of her hospital room where more clear than those of her childhood home.

“I would sit in my hospital room and I would put posters up and listen to Hannah Montana,” said Hurt. “I got to ride on the IV poles and I built my first snowman on a helicopter pad.”

While her classmates had sleepovers, Hurt was receiving dialysis 12 hours a day.

She first spoke with CTV News in 2013, when she got to go on a “Dreamlift” trip to Disneyworld.

Eleven years later, she said she wouldn’t be here without a kidney donation.

“I probably wouldn’t have made it past 10 years old if it wasn’t for a parent selflessly deciding to donate their child’s organs after they had passed,” said Hurt.

 

The Grandfather

Rand had to watch his granddaughter grow up ill, and happily recalled watching her recover after receiving her kidney.

He said it was a shock when he found himself in need of an organ.

“I came home and my wife said ‘how’d it go today with your liver tests?’” he recalled. “I said ‘well, he said I could be a candidate for a liver transplant,’ and she said ‘What?’

“I was just in a state of shock,” he said.

Two years later, Rand was hospitalized as his liver deteriorated.

He fell into a coma and it was another two years before he was matched with a good liver.

 

Become a donor

Rand and his granddaughter shared their story in hopes it might encourage others to register to be an organ donor.

“It's a gift when someone decides to donate organs,” he said. “It's a gift of life to somebody else.”

The province of Ontario requires residents to register consent to donate — even if they’ve signed a donor card, to ensure their information is recorded with the government.

 

What you need to register

• to be at least 16 years old
• to provide your date of birth
• your health card number and version code (if applicable)