Get Your #SydneyStrong Bracelet And Become An Organ And Tissue Donor!!

Meet Sydney Vrolyk and her Mom Helen Van Sligtenhorst, they want to share with you the importance of becoming an organ and tissue donor.

Sydney, who is living with Down Syndrome, received her new heart from an anonymous donor in May following a 10-hour surgery at London Health Sciences Centre. The 24-year-old was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy on May 22, 2022, and has been under the watchful eye of doctors since then. Her mother, Helen Van Sligtenhorst, said they initially tried to treat her condition with medication. But in April, they told them she was getting sicker and was then put onto the list.

On May 22nd, Sydney was admitted to the ICU in London and the next day her heart was no longer able to function. She was put in a drug-induced coma and on life support, and they were given 48 hours to find her a new heart.

“Our world was just turned upside-down,” Helen said. “Thankfully, they did find her a heart. It wasn’t quite within the 48 hours, but the whole process of the transplant started.” The successful transplant took place on May 28, hours after they received news of a positive donor match.

It wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of an anonymous donor.

“Please don’t take your organs to heaven, that’s the message that we’re trying to convey here,” says Helen. “My daughter is actually visiting with her best friend today, and she’s looking forward to going back to the activities that she used to do. She wanted to go back to playing baseball and bowling and do her volunteer jobs, seeing friends and being part of her church faith community.”

Van Sligtenhorst says signing up could save one, or multiple lives. She encourages those interested to sign up at https://beadonor.ca/  as it symbolizes an intentional choice on their part. Which according to Helen,  leads to less pushback from the family. Before, people might sign on their license, and not really understand what it meant.”

Sydney’s friend Madison Linker has been selling special bracelets to support the family.

The purple bracelets are $5 each and say “Transplant Awareness” on one side and “Sydney Strong” on the other. They can be purchased at The Book Keeper in the Northgate Plaza  and at Harbour Bay Clothing and Gifts on Front Street.

Categorised in: Mornings

This post was written by Sarah Woodley