To the editor:
I am writing this letter in response to the article that appeared in the July 29 edition of the Source with the headline “Calling for Help,” an article detailing financial support for the Lake Superior Centre for Regenerative Medicine (RegenMed).
In particular, I am very concerned with the tone of the following statement: “Officials with the organization say they could oversee the harvesting of as many as 200 donors a year for bone and tissue, which gives them the potential to make millions of dollars.”
The way in which the statement is worded is both misleading and insensitive. The statement implies that the mission of RegenMed is to make a substantial profit from the generous donations of grieving families.
A decision by a family to consent to the gift of organ and/or tissue is a very personal one. That gift can save lives as well as improve the quality of life for many. Just ask someone you know who has been the beneficiary of hip replacement surgery, ligament repair or oral surgery. In fact, one tissue donor can improve the quality of life for as many as 75 individuals.
RegenMed’s mission is to provide safe high quality tissue to Canadian surgeons. Unfortunately, the inaccuracy of the above statement not only misrepresents our mission as a charitable not-for-profit organization, it implies that the gift of donation has a financial bottom line.
I am writing this letter in response to the article that appeared in the July 29 edition of the Source with the headline “Calling for Help,” an article detailing financial support for the Lake Superior Centre for Regenerative Medicine (RegenMed).
In particular, I am very concerned with the tone of the following statement: “Officials with the organization say they could oversee the harvesting of as many as 200 donors a year for bone and tissue, which gives them the potential to make millions of dollars.”
The way in which the statement is worded is both misleading and insensitive. The statement implies that the mission of RegenMed is to make a substantial profit from the generous donations of grieving families.
A decision by a family to consent to the gift of organ and/or tissue is a very personal one. That gift can save lives as well as improve the quality of life for many. Just ask someone you know who has been the beneficiary of hip replacement surgery, ligament repair or oral surgery. In fact, one tissue donor can improve the quality of life for as many as 75 individuals.
RegenMed’s mission is to provide safe high quality tissue to Canadian surgeons. Unfortunately, the inaccuracy of the above statement not only misrepresents our mission as a charitable not-for-profit organization, it implies that the gift of donation has a financial bottom line.
We would like to clarify that the fees received by RegenMed through the distribution of tissue grafts are necessary to compensate for the high operational cost of tissue banking.
We would also like to take this opportunity to describe the important work that RegenMed performs.
RegenMed is working hard to provide a greatly needed service to Canadian surgeons and patients. Without Canadian tissue banks like RegenMed, hospitals are forced to purchase imported tissue from the U.S. at great cost.
As a tissue bank and tissue recovery team located right here in our community, we provide local surgeons with a steady supply of high quality tissue grafts for transplant.
We also allow the opportunity for tissue donation to take place for local families who have chosen the option to donate the tissue of their loved ones and in turn enhance the lives of others.
Thank you for the opportunity to share this important information about RegenMed with our community.
Robert Thayer,
RegenMed, CEO
We would also like to take this opportunity to describe the important work that RegenMed performs.
RegenMed is working hard to provide a greatly needed service to Canadian surgeons and patients. Without Canadian tissue banks like RegenMed, hospitals are forced to purchase imported tissue from the U.S. at great cost.
As a tissue bank and tissue recovery team located right here in our community, we provide local surgeons with a steady supply of high quality tissue grafts for transplant.
We also allow the opportunity for tissue donation to take place for local families who have chosen the option to donate the tissue of their loved ones and in turn enhance the lives of others.
Thank you for the opportunity to share this important information about RegenMed with our community.
Robert Thayer,
RegenMed, CEO
