Last year, Saskatoon Police officer Chris Martin made the decision to donate a kidney to a friend who needed one. “It sounds corny, but I truly believe that as a member of the police ... we’re called to be the difference and step up and preserve life,” Martin said. “That’s something I could do. So that was an easy decision for me to make.” This decision would go on to pave the way for a significant update to SPS policy and led to recognition from the Kidney Foundation of Canada. SPS Chief Cam McBride recalled his reaction when Martin first approached him about organizing the necessary time off to go through with the donation. “Chris came and said ... ’I want to be the difference for a friend.’ And when I learned what that difference was going to mean, and what he was undertaking to do and accomplish, it was extremely remarkable to me that that somebody would do that,” McBride said. While Martin was prepared to use his vacation and sick hours to accommodate the time away, McBride and other senior SPS staff members decided to implement a policy committing the SPS to accommodate any staff seeking time off to become a live organ donor. “As an organization, sometimes you have to weigh the risk. Sometimes you have to look at the budget, but sometimes you just have to apply common sense and ask yourself, is it the right thing to do?” McBride said. This decision resulted in the SPS becoming the first police service in North America to be a part of the Kidney Foundation’s Living Donor Circle of Excellence. “It celebrates companies that adopt work leave policy that says, ‘If we have an employee who’s going to donate a kidney, partial liver or lung, that we are there to cover their salary’,” Joyce Van Deurzen, the executive director of the Kidney Foundation of Canada’s Saskatchewan and Alberta branches said. The financial barriers of taking an extended leave from work is a common obstacle for people looking to become living organ donors. This award and title is intended to encourage workplace to publicly remove this obstacle for employees seeking to become donors. “Companies have to implement a policy or create a policy statement that demonstrates that all of their employees will receive some replacement income should they want or need to be a living organ donor,” Van Deurzen said. Being part of the Circle of Excellence includes recognition on various Kidney Foundation websites and social media platforms, in addition to use of the Circle of Excellence logo on SPS material. “Even when someone is committed to making the donation. The practical realities can be significant. Recovery means time away from work, which can add financial stress. Knowing that your employer supports you, removes a major barrier, and allows people to focus on their health and on their recovery,” Martin said. Martin added that while he never expected his act of generosity to have an organization-wide impact, he is happy to be part of something that could improve access to organ donation for others. “It’s a great feeling to know that that barrier has been removed. There’s no reason for anyone else to say ‘I can’t do it,’ because you can do it. And it’s as simple as going to sleep,” Martin said. According to McBride, the decision to update SPS police was made carefully, but quickly. And he along with many others saw it as the right thing to do.
