WHAT: Kurt Penner, who in 2002, was days away from dying of emphysema received a life-saving double-lung transplant through the Trillium Gift of Life Network (TGLN). On December 27, he'll be carrying the 2010 Olympic torch for 300 metres through the streets of Woodstock, Ontario, thanks to that donation.
His self-defined mission as torchbearer: to light the fire amongst Ontarians about the revitalizing power of organ and tissue donation. And to get them all to REGISTER YES! WHO: Dorchester-resident Kurt Penner, 60, Olympic torch bearer, London, Ontario World Transplant Games veteran and double-lung transplant recipient WHEN: Sunday, December 27, 2009 at 10 a.m. WHERE: Parkinson Drive Woodstock, ON (on the Kitchener-London route of the Olympic Torch Run) HOW: Register your consent to donate your organs and tissue by visiting your local Service Ontario Health Card Services - OHIP office or outreach centre where you renew your health card. You can also register by downloading and filling out a Gift of Life Consent form from www.giftoflife.on.ca and mailing it to the address on the form. Even if you've already signed your donor card, please also register your decision so that this information is accessible at the time of your death and talk to your family about your decision.
Please note: The Trillium Gift of Life Network offices will be closed during the holiday season from December 25-28, 2009 and from January 1-3, 2010.
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