The loss of a child changes a family forever, and Nikki Hannah, an organ donation specialist at BC Transplant, has seen that firsthand with her grandparents.
Her grandparents’ firstborn daughter Rachel died when she was a baby. Rachel’s little sister, Nikki’s mom, was born a few years later.
“I was very close to my grandparents. My grandpa went to his daughter’s grave every week, but my grandmother couldn’t go. It was too emotionally difficult for her,” says Nikki. “Until the day they died, my grandparents continued to talk about Rachel. When I go back to Scotland, I always make a point of visiting her grave, as I use to do with my grandpa.”
In her role on the organ donation and hospital development team, Nikki works with donor families at St. Paul’s Hospital and BC Children’s Hospital. Each donor was someone’s child, and that’s something Nikki always remembers.
“I see how much the loss of a child affects a family,” Nikki remarks. “When family members agree to donate their loved one’s organs, they often tell me they don’t want anyone else to go through what they are going through and experience the loss of a child. Can you imagine the powerful impact of being able to save another family?”
Nikki has been at BC Transplant full-time since 2011. Prior to that, she worked as an organ donation coordinator in Ontario. She started her career as a nurse, working in the UK. A physician she worked with took care of Northern Irish soccer player George Best. Widely known as one of the greatest soccer players of all time, Best was also a liver transplant recipient.
“Organ transplant really fascinated me,” comments Nikki. “I remember seeing the organ donation teams come in for retrievals and I could see the profound effect they had on families and the difference it made for them during a time of deep tragedy.’
When Nikki is on-call, she is involved in every step of the organ donation process, starting with the referral from the hospital intensive care units when there is a death. Then she meets with the families to discuss organ donation and get consent. She also works with the critical care teams to coordinate all the testing so the organs can be matched with the most suitable recipients in B.C., across the country, or even the U.S. if there are no matches in Canada. Nikki supports the donor family and hospital teams through the whole process.
Nikki’s work can be emotionally challenging, especially with pediatric donors and their families. The reality is there are patients of all ages awaiting a life-saving organ transplant. Infants and young children are at times too small to receive adult-sized organs so they must wait for a donor who is closer to their age and size.
“It’s hard. We meet with families shortly after they have been told their loved one is brain dead or has a non-survivable injury. At times, it takes all my strength not to burst into tears while I’m speaking with them,” says Nikki. “Yet, providing them with the knowledge and opportunity to donate their child’s organs is so important, as many are unaware it’s even an option.”
To help maintain her mental health, Nikki exercises regularly, prioritizes sleep, and spends a lot of time with her dog in nature. She also attends psychologist-led sessions with other members of the organ donation and hospital development team to help process and discuss their feelings and experiences.
But by helping family members find hope and connection, Nikki also finds hope. And that’s what keeps her coming to work.
Nikki adds, “It’s a privilege and humbling experience meeting families who, at the worst possible time in their lives, are thinking of others and they are willing to donate their child’s organs in an effort to save another life.”
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See the impact and power of organ donation through the docuseries ‘Transplant Stories,’ broadcast on the Knowledge Network channel (Tuesdays at 9 p.m. from November 19 to December 10), or stream for free anytime on
Knowledge.ca.
Are you registered? One organ donor can save up to eight lives. Registeryourdecision.ca
