ONTARIO-DJ Prosper, the multi-talented musician who’s known for hyping up Ottawa Senator fans needed his own hype man when he found out he was facing kidney failure.
“January 31st, we’ll never forget that date, that’s when I went for my regular blood test, knowing that I wasn’t feeling well,” said DJ Prosper. He describes the waves of emotions that hit him with his diagnosis. “Anxiety, scared, fear, depression, all kinds of stuff, your life has changed completely.”
But through all that fear and anxiety, he found a living kidney donor who generously gave him the gift of life.
“What do you say to someone who’s about to save your life?” said a grateful DJ Prosper. “And man, their posture and responses were so comforting, all they were saying was that, ‘Don’t worry, you’re going to be fine. Everything’s going to be fine.'”
More than 4,000 Canadians are currently waiting for an organ transplant, and sadly, about 250 will die each year while waiting.
September 13-19, 2026, is Living Donation Week. It’s a time to celebrate and honour living kidney and liver donors, recipients and medical teams that make it all possible. It’s also a time to build and spread awareness about the life-changing impact living donors can have.
During Living Donation Week, Canadian Blood Services is raising awareness of living organ donation with the goal of improving access and providing hope and support for thousands of Canadians waiting for a transplant. And most importantly, we want to inspire more people to become living donors.
“Living donation is one of the most extraordinary gifts a person can give. Living donation offers transplant recipients shorter wait times, better health outcomes and the chance to return to activities they enjoy. We hope Living Donation Week inspires Canadians to learn more about how living donation impacts recipients, living donors and those close to them,” said Dr. Tanya Petraszko, Vice-President, Medical Affairs, Canadian Blood Services.
 The success of living organ donation is only possible through the generosity of people who step forward as living organ donors. Any healthy adult can become a living donor, and ensuring a donor’s safety and long-term wellness is the top priority throughout the process. Whether it’s donating a kidney or a portion of your liver which is then transplanted into a recipient in need, living organ donors carry on living normal and healthy lives.
Canadian Blood Services works closely with organ and tissue donation and transplantation programs across the country in developing leading practices, professional education, public awareness and data analysis and reporting. We also manage clinical programs that support interprovincial sharing of organs.
One of these national programs is the Kidney Paired Donation program (KPD). Sometimes a willing donor is unable to donate directly to a loved one because they are not compatible matches. Through Canadian Blood Services’ Kidney Paired Donation Program, donors and recipients can be matched with other compatible pairs across Canada, creating chains of donation that save lives.
Since 2009, this program has allowed donors the possibility to help someone they know receive a kidney transplant, even if they are not a match with the recipient. Learn more about living organ donation, including how to become a living organ donor, at blood.ca/livingdonation, or find out more by contacting your provincial or territorial living donation program.
Learn more about Living Donation Week at livingdonationweek.ca.
