Transplant Ambassador Program (TAP)

Transplant Ambassador Program (TAP)

“We know what you’re going through because we’ve been there.”

The Transplant Ambassador Program (TAP) began in 2017 as part of an Ontario-wide strategy to increase transplant rates, especially living donor transplant rates, which had been stagnant for over a decade.

With the support of Principal Investigator, Dr. Amit Garg, and in collaboration with the Ontario Renal Network (ORN), Trillium Gift of Life Network (TGLN), and 27 Regional Renal Centres across the province, Transplant Ambassadors share their own personal stories and lived experiences as transplant recipients and kidney donors to support, inspire and empower others who find themselves walking the same path.

TAP GOALS

  • Inspire, support and educate patients living with kidney disease or kidney failure about kidney transplant as a healthcare option at the earliest possible stage.

  • Inspire family and friends of patients living with kidney disease to consider becoming living donors.

  • Identify barriers to transplant as well as opportunities to overcome them.

  • Build a sustainable network of volunteers -- enthusiastic, engaged, and passionate kidney donors and transplant recipients, motivated to drive change.

  • Increase deceased and living donor transplant rates.

THE TAP DIFFERENCE

Transplant Ambassadors, now over 150 strong, are integrated into their local renal clinics and are available by phone or zoom and visible on-site to help normalize the idea of transplant.

TAP is also an independent, patient-centred, patient-led program driven by passionate volunteers who want to pay it forward.

Your support for TAP will help cover operating costs to run the program including marketing the program to patients and potential living donors including updating our digital and print media as well as other administrative costs to operate the program.

For more information, visit us at www.transplantambassadors.ca

Or contact Susan McKenzie, Provincial Chair, at susan.mckenzie@transplantambassadors.ca or 226-921-5642.

Vanessa Dolishny