No matter how good the coffee is, taking a break these days is little harder for busy student Kristin Millar.
She just finished her last exam and now needs to get her Christmas shopping done.
And having a heart that is 27 years older than she is doesn't slow her down.
"I was 28 when I received my heart transplant and my donor was 55," said Millar.
If it matched and it was healthy, Millar said she would have accepted a heart even older than that.
And now encourages everyone, no matter the age, to donate.
"The oldest organ donor was 92 years old for a kidney so my grandma, 91, signed up online," added Millar.
She is one of hundreds of others across Canada every year who receive organs donated by older donors.
A report released by the Canadian Institute for Health Information said about nine per cent of donors in Manitoba are older than 60.
The participation rate of older donors here is among the lowest in the country.
The same report says conversion rates - the process of actually donating an organ - needs to improve.
Findings in Manitoba show that rate is about 10 per cent - the number again, among the lowest in Canada.
"I think if you ask 100 Manitobans who would want an organ if their life depended on it, I think most people would put up their hand,” said Dr. Faisal Siddiqui of Transplant Manitoba. “If you ask those same people if they actually signed their donor card or gone online or told their family unfortunately, it's a little less than that."
To help, Transplant Manitoba introduced a team that has doctors working closer with coordinators to recruit potential donors.
As of a week ago, a routine notification process gives the transplant team a chance to talk to most of the potential donors and their families.
But Dr. Siddiqui said people wishing to donate shouldn't wait until they're in the hospital to make their intentions clear.
He suggests everyone who wants to gift their organs sign up at signupforlife.ca and make sure your family knows your intentions.
