The program contains scenes of a graphic nature and viewer discretion is advised.

The ‘Options For Life’ video features the innovative ‘Marginal Donor’ Program lead by Dr. Anil Kapoor at St. Joseph’s Healthcare in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Marginal donors are older donors with diabetes or high blood pressure but who could remain donor candidates for transplantation. Kidneys donated from Marginal Donors may not last as long or work quite as well as kidneys donated from younger healthier donors. However, studies have shown that the use of marginal donor kidneys through a Marginal Donor Program can be advantageous for some recipients, such as older/senior recipients. The advantage for patients receiving these kidneys is that they do not have to wait as long on the transplant waiting list, and may receive these kidney transplants sooner.

St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton’s program is headed by Dr. Kapoor, a leading transplant surgeon in this field. Using state-of-the-art, minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery, this unique program intends to extend and increase options of the donor program to older individuals on waiting lists, who can be approached to consider this option.

This video deals in detail with what kidney transplant surgery involves, and is intended for patients to become better informed about all options available to those on transplant waiting lists. It is hoped that, given the extreme shortage of organs for transplant, that this will extend the donor list and help save lives.

The video was produced by Krista Berg, Lisa Griffin, Meghan Shea and Nic Shoniker all students from St. Lawrence College in Kingston. It won the ‘Greg’ Award in 2007. Special thanks to these students for their excellent work for their award-winning video.