Life-saving transplant allows nursing student to mark milestone graduation

TMU student Afsana Lallani graduated from the nursing program on June 15, 2023, proudly wearing a green scarf on the convocation stage as a visible symbol of the importance of organ donation, and sharing a powerful message of hope and gratitude. 

“Green, the official colour of organ and tissue donation, embodies the hope that organ donors offer, and inspires others to help to save lives to create endless possibilities,” says Lallani. “Through their generosity, donors give their recipients a second chance at life, an opportunity to pursue our dreams and celebrate milestones like my university graduation.”

VIDEO: Global News interviews Afsana Lallani the week of her graduation on what it means to be celebrating a milestone and being the face of living-organ donation awareness (external link) 

Launching a social media campaign to live

Before launching a personal social media campaign to save her life in 2021, fourth-year nursing student Afsana Lallani was reticent about sharing her health story on social channels. In fact, her buoyant posts never hinted at the health problem she was battling. 

Lallani suffered from primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a rare and chronic liver disease that can eventually lead to organ failure. A liver transplant is the only known treatment. After finding out no one in her family was a match for organ donation, the 23-year-old became an expert on searching for a living donor, starting her own Facebook campaign which reached 60,789 people. And one of those connections stepped up to help.

Living Donation Week

You may have come across Lallani on a poster, billboard or on the local news last year. That’s because she is a University Health Network (UHN) ambassador who participated in advocacy for Living Donation Week (external link)  which took place Sept. 11 to 17.

“I spent a lot of time drawing awareness of living donation and advocating for patients that are still on [liver or kidney organ donation] waitlists,” says Lallani, who also participated in a webinar to share advice on creating social media campaigns to connect with potential living donors. 

Living donations are made by living persons who give a kidney or partial liver for transplantation to another person whose organ is no longer functioning properly. The procedure has no serious side effects for the donor (livers grow back to full size for both the donor and recipient, it is the only part of the body that can regenerate) and is life-altering for someone who needs it.

The gift of life

Living Donation Week is part of a campaign by the Ajmera Transplant Centre at UHN (external link)  and The Centre for Living Organ Donation at UHN (external link) . Last year’s theme, ‘great actions leave a mark’, honoured the meaning behind surgery scars. 39 transplant success stories were profiled for the project, including Lallani. For her, the scars on her abdomen are worn like a badge of honour.

“My scar is a beautiful reminder of my strength and perseverance through adversity. It reminds me of all the love and hope in this world because I was able to get one of the rarest gifts - my donor,” says Lallani.

Lallani wants those who can to consider donating, whether it’s living donation, blood donation or checking off the registered donor option indicated on your health card. She also wants people considering living organ donation to know that there is funding to cover expenses like downtime from work.

A celebration of the nursing profession

On the day of her convocation, Lallani also met with Ontario’s Chief Nursing Officer, Dr. Karima Velji, to share her story and bring awareness to organ donation and her nursing career goals.

The minister expressed that Lallani’s graduation was a celebration of not just TMU’s nursing class of 2023, but nursing as a profession and its dedication to patient care. 

To be a registered nurse, students must pass the NCLEX-RN registration exam. Lallani plans on tackling that next, along with a role as a patient research partner for the Canadian Donation & Transplantation Research Program (CDTRP), participating in ongoing research by contributing her lived experience.

She also continues her work with UHN on the Volunteer Advisory Committee for Living Organ Donation, advocating for organ donation and drawing awareness to the cause. She also collaborates with UHN to create living donor social media campaigns for people who are in need of a donor. 

Her advice to incoming nursing students; “It's okay to ask for help, no matter how big or small, because the professors and instructors are so approachable and understanding. That was my experience, when I needed help. Even when I didn't know what kind of support I needed they gave suggestions.” 

A future in health care

As a nursing student in an intense and vigorous program, she says she couldn’t have managed during her illness without the support of TMU faculty and the accommodation office which permitted her a medical leave and lighter course load during her health journey.

Lallani’s successful transplant surgery offered her the opportunity to realize her dream of being a nurse with renewed drive and energy. She highlights the professional nursing placements in her program that allowed her to experience her future career first-hand.

“I'm definitely on the right career path. I’m leaning towards palliative care. Going through my health experience, and having had an ongoing interest in palliative, I found my calling in my consolidation placement,” she says. 

Most importantly, Lallani wants to use her personal experience to help others. “It's close to my heart. I know I can apply deep empathy and compassionate care to patients.”

DID YOU KNOW THAT in Canada there are currently 1,500 people waiting for a kidney and nearly 400 waiting for a liver? To learn more about the campaign and donating, visit www.greatactions.ca (external link) .