It’s a thoughtful conversation with loved ones that may one day twist a tragedy into a second chance at life.
When Kristy Thackerary was 14 years old, she received a second shot at life because a young woman had made the decision to become an organ donor.
Over a three-day trip, Thackerary, who resides just outside Calgary, was invited to ride the Rocky Mountaineer train with other recipients, organ donors and their families during the second annual Life Changing Train for Heroes”event.
The event hopes to draw 5,000 donor signups in one week. Those numbers weren’t available at press time.
In 1996, Thackerary received a heart transplant because of her condition, called restrictive cardiomyopathy – a rare condition that restricts the heartbeat.
Now 33, Thackerary, a heart transplant survivor and organ donation advocate, was onboard with her husband and twin daughters and accompanied by Remi and Coral Tremblay, parents of Dawn Tremblay, the woman who provided Thackerary’s heart after tragically dying in a car accident in her early 20s.
Thackerary has kept in touch with the donor family for 18 years.
The train went from Kamloops, B.C., on Sept. 16, to Lake Louise on Sept. 18, and had on board two other Canadian families involved with the Heroes event.
For Thackerary, being surrounded by complete strangers from around the world wasn’t an awkward experience, but more of a long overdue family reunion.
“(There were) lots of sad moments on the train ride, but also exciting and happy moments,” she said. “Many tears of joy and laughter and tears of pain and sorrow ... A couple of hours in it was like family, like we were all here from a family reunion. It was incredible.
“My cheeks never hurt so much in my entire life with laughs and smiles and enjoying the company.”
Randy Powell, president and CEO of Rocky Mountaineer, said the company is humbled to welcome the heroes and their families for the Life Changing Train for Heroes program.
“As the heroes give selflessly to positively impact the lives of others, we hope to provide them with a life changing experience of their own and raise awareness for the important cause,” he said.
Among the recipients taking the scenic trip through the Rockies is professional snowboarder and Olympic-medalist Chris Klug. The Colorado native received a life-saving liver transplant in 2000 and went on to win a bronze medal in the Winter Olympics two years later in Salt Lake City.
At the end of the trip a memorial service was held to pay tribute to the donor families, the people who didn’t receive an organ on time and also recipients who have since passed.
“All the donor families threw rocks in the lake to remember the donor and we talked about how significant that was because when you throw a pebble in the water it makes a ripple effect and that’s what organ donation does,” said Thackerary. “It doesn’t just affect me, but it’s affected my entire family.
“Now I’m a mom and a wife … my parents still have a daughter. I think for donors’ families to see that it’s so inspirational for them to know that their loved one is a hero.”
According to Canadian Transplant Association statistics, over 1,600 Canadians are added to organ wait lists yearly and, while 90 per cent of Canadians support organ and tissue donation, less than 25 per cent have made plans to donate. One donor can benefit more than 75 people and save up to eight lives, according to the statistics.
In 2003, one of Thackerary’s twin girls, Shaylynn, was diagnosed with the same condition as her mother. This past January, a decade was celebrated for Shaylynn’s successful heart transplant.
“The end of the message is organ donation is so important and it’s so important to have that conversation with your family. It’s better to have that conversation before you’re in the middle of that tragedy and then you don’t have to have that conversation again,” Thackerary said.
