Record number of organ transplants set for 2025: BC Transplant

BC Transplant is encouraging more British Columbians to consider signing up to become organ donors, as a record 575 people in the province receive life-changing surgeries in 2025.

BC Transplant oversees organ donation and transplantation across the province. Organ transplants have been recording annually since the first kidney transplant in 1968.

These surgeries were made possible because of the 232 people who donated, including 146 deceased persons and 86 living donors, such as for kidney and liver transplants, BC Transplant said.

“Every deceased donor is a tragedy,” said Dr. Sean Keenan, the provincial medical director of donation services. “The fact that families at that time were willing to consider this, you know, is incredible.”

Keenan said there was no specific reason behind the large number of surgeries performed last year, adding that donors were able to provide more organs and organs are also transferred between provinces for patients.

“It’s in a lot of ways…it’s a lot of hard work from everyone involved and…I think it changes from year to year,” he said.

Keenan said it is very rare for people to become donors because they need to be on life support, and of those who do, most have not registered the decision.

“For people who do this, it becomes much easier for their family and loved ones to reach out on their behalf,” he said.

He said that anyone can register to be a donor, regardless of their medical or health conditions, as many tests are carried out to ensure that the organs are safe for transplant and IIt also provides hope to all those waiting for a life-saving organ transplant.

a new lease of life

Kelowna, BC, resident Troy Chapman still remembers the call he received on October 4, 2025, when he was told he was finally going to get a kidney transplant that day.

Chapman said he had been on the waiting list since May and on dialysis for two and a half years after experiencing heart failure due to diabetes.

“It was surreal, well, it was like, ‘Oh my God, this is actually happening,'” Chapman After her brother drove her to Vancouver for the procedure that day.

Now Chapman said he no longer gets sick, has regained his energy and is trying to live a normal life.

“I’ve got a new lease on life,” Chapman said, “somebody’s tragedy… is the gift of life to me.”

Beau’s amazing gift

Debbie Wargowsik said her son Beau was 23 when he told his father he wanted to be an organ donor. One day it happened that they went out for a drive together.

“Really didn’t think it would ever happen in our lifetime because he was 23,” he said. “We were not expecting the events that occurred.”

Wargowsik said Beau had a stroke at his home in late April and was in a coma for several days.

When she and her husband were told that Beau would not come out of the coma, the next step would be to remove him from life support, and she said they were asked if they thought about organ donation.

“I didn’t know it at the time though, but Brian said ‘Yeah, they talked about it and Beau said he wanted to be an organ donor,'” Wargowsik said. “I was surprised and you know, I’m glad Beau made that decision for us.”

“I feel very proud of Beau,” he said. “This is such a wonderful gift to give anyone.”