About Us
Our Mission:
The Children’s Organ Transplant Society is dedicated to enhancing the lives of BC’s transplant children and their families through support services, advocacy, and awareness.
How We Came to Be
In April 2001, Debbie Bielech founded the Children’s Organ Transplant Society – one year after donating the left lobe of her liver to save her son’s life. She experienced many of the challenges that all families confront when given the news that their child needs a life-saving organ transplant. Her experience with her son motivated her to create an emotional and social support group for families who were waiting for organ transplants, for transplant recipients and their families. In addition, she wanted to provide encouragement and support for family members who could potentially become donors.
Since then, we have grown our programming to include medical, psychological, family, peer, and community support. We hold multiple family gatherings per year, send transplant youth to camp, offer educational events, and provide necessities on a case-by-case basis.
Furthermore, through the Children’s Organ Transplant Society and BC Children’s Hospital staff, the provincial government increased funding for the Multi-Organ Transplant Clinic at BC Children’s Hospital (BCCH). Because of such advocacy, there is now a full team (social worker, psychologist, nutritionist, and nursing team) dedicated to transplant patients. In addition, the heart transplant program has now been implemented at BCCH, with hopes to do so for liver transplants in the future. Such services failed to exist when Debbie Bielech’s son received his liver in 1999 and are accomplishments that Debbie holds close to her heart.
COTS and BC Children’s Hospital continue to advocate for additional services in order to expand the existing programs and better serve the pediatric transplant community.
