Take on the Chain of Life Challenge at mont Royal!

I've been a police officer for over 25 years with the Service de police de la ville de Montréal (SPVM), and I'm a lieutenant at neighbourhood Station 44 in Rosemont-La-Petite-Patrie.

I became a police officer to save lives and make a difference in my community. I've done this in many ways, but rarely as tangibly as when I'm transporting organs or medical teams.

Inspired by a colleague who volunteered his time to do these transports, I became a volunteer police officer with CODA in 2003. This involvement led me to become the organ transport coordinator for the SPVM in 2015. I also support various organizations involved in organ donation and regularly take part in many of their activities.

I often mention that volunteer police officers are the “link” between the organ donor and the recipient. Our goal is to transport each gift of life quickly and safely in order to give the medical team as much time as possible and the best chance to complete the procedure successfully and restore the patient's health. I know I'm helping to save a life with every transport! Organ donation brings hope. It brings people back to life, it brings relief to families and it has a positive impact on the community.

I've known about Chain of Life for 10 years now, and I know the very important role it plays in raising awareness among young people, and eventually those around them, and of the importance of organ donation, which remains misunderstood and known too little. The values of altruism, selflessness and compassion are conveyed through the education provided by this organization, which ultimately helps save lives.

My name is Vincent Dubuc and I work for Montréal's Sûreté Airport Patrol (Sûreté aéroportuaire des Aéroports de Montréal) as a sector manager. I'm a member of a team in charge of law enforcement.

I've been transporting organs and medical teams for the Canadian Organ and Tissue Donors Association (CODA) for over two years now.

At Aéroports de Montréal, some fifteen volunteers are involved in the transport of organs and medical teams. It's thanks to them that I became aware of this essential cause and decided to join.

I was immediately drawn to the cause and didn't hesitate to volunteer to do transports. For me, this means I can make a concrete contribution to improving the health of my fellow citizens, as well as helping save the lives of many others.
I'm very proud to volunteer my time to CODA and be able to make a difference in our community.

My interest in the cause of organ donation dates back several years. In 2003, I had the chance to be the expedition leader of the Cordée du cœur. With a multidisciplinary team, we achieved an important world first: guiding Sylvain Bédard, a heart transplant recipient, to the top of Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps at 4,810 m. This expedition was followed by millions of Canadians and thus, will have promoted organ donation and given hope to thousands of people waiting for a transplant, not only in Quebec, but also across Canada.

In 2015, I agreed to become the distinguished climber and ambassador for the Chain of Life Challenge in the Montreal region because I believe that organ donation education is the best way to reach the general public about this important social issue.

In May 2019, I paid tribute to Serge Dessureault, who was also a distinguished climber and ambassador for Chain of Life, by carrying the Chain of Life flag to the top of Mount Everest and then, a month later, there I was, on the summit of the highest mountain in North America, Mount Denali in Alaska, again with the Chain of Life flag.

For me, every mountain represents a wonderful opportunity to support a cause, and organ donation is one that is very dear to my heart.

Gabriel Filippi
Speaker and mountaineer