Windsor ICU nurses recognized for organ and tissue donation advocacy

Two nurses at Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH) are being recognized by the Trillium Gift of Life Network (TGLN) for being exceptional advocates for organ and tissue donation.

Intensive care unit nurses Terra Popovski and Andrea Brearley were awarded the 2023 Provincial Donation Champion Award on Tuesday for excellence in fulfilling Ontario Health’s TGLN mandate to save and enhance more lives through the gift of organ and tissue donation.

“It’s a wonderful honour and a privilege to be nominated for this award and to receive this award,” said Popovski, who works at the MET Campus and has been a registered nurse for over 20 years. “Organ donation is something that I believe in both professionally and personally, so it does mean a lot.”

Brearley, who works at the Ouellette Campus, said she was honoured by the recognition, and added organ donation became important and personal to her in 2012 when her husband was listed as a donor, but passed away before he could receive a heart transplant.

“I felt honored that I was able to support my co-workers in the unit,” she said. “We have a lot of young nurses, so to be someone who's 25 years in, and then be able to watch them grow with the donor families and get their comfort level as they speak to the families as well and take care of the whole family, not just the patient,” she said.

“Andrea and Terra have supported many organ and tissue donation cases ensuring families always receive quality end-of-life care. They both make organ and tissue donation a priority in their daily practice in the ICU,” added Karen Riddell, WRH chief operating officer, chief nursing executive, and vice president critical care and cardiology.

A ceremony was held in Windsor to honour ICU nurses Andrea Brearley and Terra Popovski for their dedication to raising awareness for organ and tissue donation on April 30, 2024. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)Riddell added, “Their hard work and enthusiasm for donation and eagerness to provide outstanding care to our donor families who are honoring the wishes of their loved ones is what makes them true donation champions.”

In 2023, the province contributed to 1,152 essential organ transplants. Together, Ontario hospitals supported 365 organ donors and 1,853 tissue donors.

According to Ontario Health, these milestones could not be met without the dedication of individuals like Popovski and Brearley.

"Support for organ and tissue donation among Ontarians stands strong at 90 per cent, yet only 35 per cent are registered donors. Be a Donor Month is a significant opportunity for the province to come together to bridge this gap by educating and inspiring people to register, while also fostering hope, nurturing compassion, and empowering individuals to have important conversations with their loved ones,” said Rebecca Cooper, vice president, Ontario Health.

On average, there are 1,400 people in Ontario waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. According to officials, someone on the waiting list dies every three days.

“Registration is actually extremely low in Windsor,” said Brooke Denomme, organ and tissue donation coordinator at Windsor Regional Hospital. “So we're really encouraging our population to register their consent for donation and talk to their families about their wishes.”

Denomme said local organ donor registration is at 32 per cent, and the TGLN said Windsor ranks 152 out of 170 in the province.

“When we poll Ontarians, 90 per cent are in favour of donation,” Denomme said. “So we're hoping that we can increase that registration right here by getting some awareness for donation.”