With unprecedented access to patients and rarely seen footage from the operating room, Transplant Stories is a four-episode TV series that follows the intimate and dramatic stories behind just a few of the thousands of organ transplants performed each year in Canada.  Transplant Stories will have a Broadcast Premiere starting November 19 (BC only), and stream for free online on www.knowledge.ca/transplant-stories across Canada. The series is directed by local filmmaker Sheona McDonald, for Omnifilm Entertainment. 

We’ll see surgeons at Vancouver General Hospital and St. Paul’s Hospital race against time to recover a heart, liver or lung from a donor and get it to a recipient in desperate need. People like Ben, a racing enthusiast with an auto-immune disorder who is waiting for a new set of lungs and getting sicker every day. And Angela, who is struggling with a condition that hardens her heart muscles and urgently needs a transplant. Fighting to save them is an extraordinary team of professionals, from organ retrieval experts to dedicated surgeons. 

Behind every organ transplant is a life-and-death story. When an organ suddenly becomes available, teams of dedicated health professionals spring into action in a highly coordinated mission that can lead to a second chance at life for one or more patients on the waitlist. Each episode in Transplant Stories features the powerful journeys of three to four Canadians who are hoping that they will get the call in time.   

“We are extremely proud of this series and so thankful to our many partners for helping to bring these stories to the screen and to showcase the good works that our medical teams and communities do every day. We all know or love someone who has been touched by the need for or the donation of an organ and we feel privileged to have the opportunity to tell just a few of their stories.” – Cathy Schoch, Executive Producer, Omnifilm Entertainment 

"The talented team at Omnifilm Entertainment has done a remarkable job documenting these stories with the highest standard of care and sensitivity. This is a world that few of us have any knowledge about until we or someone we love needs a transplant. We are so grateful to all involved for sharing their stories." – Michelle van Beusekom, President and CEO, Knowledge Network. 

“I am profoundly grateful for having been a part of this significant project and thankful to everyone who so generously shared with us their lives, time, work, feelings, families, thoughts, challenges and triumphs. I hope that this series will become part of an important conversation about transplant, human connection and how we can help each other.” – Sheona McDonald, Director, Transplant Stories. 

“At BC Transplant, we see the profound impact of organ donation and transplantation throughout the province. We are especially grateful to all our living donors, deceased donors and their families for their selfless decision to save lives. Through these stories we are proud to honour the collective efforts of the dedicated healthcare professionals involved in donation and transplantation.”  – Eric Lun, Executive Director, BC Transplant. 

Transplant Stories is written by Catharine Parke, and produced by Giuliana Bertuzzi and David Gullason for Omnifilm Entertainment. Executive producers are: Gabriela Schonbach, Cathy Schoch, and Brian Hamilton. Sheona McDonald is the series producer, director and co-writer. 

Transplant Stories is produced by Omnifilm Entertainment in association with Knowledge Network. Produced with the participation of the Telus Fund, the Canada Media Fund, the Rogers Documentary Fund, the Rogers Telefund, the Province of British Columbia Film Incentive BC and the Canadian Film & video Production Tax Credit Program. 

In Partnership with BC Transplant, Provincial Health Services Authority, Vancouver Coastal Health, and Providence Health Care. 

To register as an organ donor: https://register.transplant.bc.ca/ 

More information: www.knowledge.ca/transplant-stories  and transplantstories.ca  

Video Clips 

Facebook - @bcknowledgenetwork | @transplantstoriesseries 

Instagram - @knowledgenetwork | @transplantstories_ 

Twitter - @kpassiton   YouTube - @transplantstories   TikTok - @transplantstories 

About Knowledge Network 

Knowledge Network is British Columbia’s destination for home grown and international stories. As a viewer-supported public broadcaster, we explore the world through our free and commercial-free television and streaming services. Working in partnership with BC independent producers, we support the creation of documentaries that inform and inspire. For more information, visit www.knowledge.ca  

About Omnifilm Entertainment 

Omnifilm Entertainment is one of Canada’s leading independent content companies. For over forty-five years, Omnifilm has produced and distributed hundreds of hours of award-winning programming including drama, comedy, factual and lifestyle series, documentaries, and children’s programming. Visit www.omnifilm.com  

About BC Transplant 

BC Transplant, a program of the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), provides provincial oversight for all aspects of organ donation and transplantation in B.C. The province’s three transplant centres are BC Children’s Hospital, St. Paul’s Hospital and Vancouver General Hospital. Transplant patients receive follow up care at the transplant centres or at one of eight regional clinics close to their home community.