Teaming up for Organ Donors
Organ donation saves lives, but it is a complex process to find a donor and can also be challenging for the donor to complete the required testing and undergo the significant medical procedure to harvest the organ.
The Living Donor Circle of Excellence program recognizes companies that cover the lost wages of living donors for time spent on testing, surgery, and recovery.
Neptune’s President, Megan Owen-Evans, is a two-time living organ donor. In 2013, she anonymously donated one of her kidneys, and in 2022, she again anonymously donated two-thirds of her liver. Her wages in 2022 were covered by Fibreco, her employer at the time. Neptune has recently joined the Circle of Excellence, along with many companies in the waterfront sector, including Fibreco, the BC Maritime Employers Association, and Global Container Terminals. Recently, the City of North Vancouver became the first municipality to join.
On September 20th, Megan also led the Neptune team in the Haul for Hope challenge, a fundraiser for Hope Air, a national organization that funds travel and accommodation costs for people living far from the medical care they require (including living donors). Haul for Hope is a test of determination, skill, and compassion as teams of 12 pull an aircraft 100 metres in support of patients who must travel for medical care.
Megan is an Executive Board Member of the Kidney Foundation, Co-Chair of the Circle of Excellence initiative, and member of the Hope Air National Advisory Council. She says these initiatives are all connected in the goal of supporting medical patients in need and reducing barriers to living donation.
“The team at Neptune is so amazing,” says Megan. “I put the fundraiser out to our staff, and not only did we raise almost $15,000, but we also pulled a 67,000-pound airplane down a runway in under 30 seconds (the fastest time for a 12-person team)!”