Stephanie

MEET STEPHANIE DYRIW, living liver donor to her son JP, co-founder of the YE Agency and creative force behind the Great Actions Leave a Mark Campaign.

In November 2021, JP suddenly became ill. He was admitted to Sick Kids and diagnosed with liver failure. His mom Stephanie quickly stepped forward to become his donor. The Living Liver Donor and Transplant teams @SickKidsInteractive and @ajmeratransplantcentre quickly mobilized to complete the living donor assessment and ensure the surgeries happened quickly and safely.  

Stephanie and JP recovered quickly but the experience profoundly affected them. In the months that followed, the Yonge + Eist team came together and brainstormed ideas for a public awareness campaign to raise awareness of the power of living organ donation. They approached the Centre for Living Organ Donation and with support from the Ajmera Transplant Centre, the Great Actions Campaign quickly grew to include living donors, recipients and partners from across Canada.

Ordinary people are capable of doing extraordinary things. Whether it's stepping forward as a living donor, registering as a deceased donor, donating blood or spreading awareness...YOU are capable of taking a brave action. You can not only change a life...you can save a life.