A big kid at heart, Rod Brathwaite is on the Canucks bench before every game, helping young Canucks fans participate in the game-day experience.
Brathwaite is the Manager of Community Partnerships and Hockey Development for the Vancouver Canucks and the Canucks’ Alumni Liaison.
He has dedicated his life to serving others and creating memorable experiences for children and their parents across the state and at Rogers Arena. In 2020, he underwent surgery that changed his life thanks to an organ donor. It has been several years since the surgery and he feels his body is in better shape than it has been in 15 years.
In gratitude to donors, he is passionate about raising awareness about organ donation, as many people are not lucky enough to find a donor and finding a donor is like digging for gold. I’m pouring it. According to Canadian Blood Services, 4,400 Canadians are waiting for life-saving organ transplants and 250 Canadians die each year before receiving a transplant. From one donor he can save eight lives, and up to 75 patients can receive tissue from one donor.
“You never really know who you’re going to help by donating your organs. It could be your neighbor, it could be someone in your family, it could be someone a million miles away. Hmm. If you’re going to donate your organs, you should try to donate them.” upon I will do the best I can. I truly believe that I am one of the lucky ones and am grateful to the organ donor community,” Brathwaite said.
To support organ donor awareness and registration across Canada, we will be turning green on April 7 in honor of former Humboldt Bronco victim Logan Boulet, who donated his organs so six people could live. Shirt Day is celebrated. Logan’s parents, Bernadine and Toby Boulet, said he intended to register as an organ donor in the weeks before the accident, and was inspired by his coach and mentor Rick Sagitt to donate his organs. .
Becoming an organ donor takes minutes and can be done online.
Brathwaite realized that his heart was failing after he consulted a doctor after experiencing breathing difficulties. It turned out he had previously had a bacterial infection that affected his heart’s ability to pump oxygenated blood.
He was initially given drugs to support heart function and had a defibrillator placed in his chest in case of sudden heart failure, but he was eventually placed on the transplant list in hopes of giving him a new lease on life. has been registered.
Brathwaite was on the transplant list for two and a half years until a suitable heart became available.
“There was a time when I had no problems playing hockey and could do everything, but it slowly went downhill. The doctor said they were going to put me on the transplant list because nothing else was going well. .The good thing about having a transplant is that it’s something you want to put on your list when you’re young: it’s a high risk, but the hardest part is the recovery,” Brathwaite said.
His heart function began to affect his daily life in unexpected ways. No one thinks that being in the ambulance will mean quitting his job, but it’s all part of trying to live your life while being sick. Brathwaite says the compassion and support he received from his colleagues and friends during that period was invaluable.
“When I tried to walk around, I was huffing and puffing and I couldn’t even walk up hills. It was really hard,” he said. “One of the symptoms I had was that I could pass out at any time. One time I passed out at work and when I woke up, my colleagues were around and they They sprang into action to give me CPR,” he said.
In August 2020, he was preparing for his weekend tea time when he received a call saying his heart was open and he needed to go to hospital that evening. When a call comes in, the process is available to him 24 hours a day. Together with his girlfriend Deborah, they headed to the hospital, trying to understand the gravity of the situation.
He said his medical team reassured him and he was hospitalized despite the added stress of needing access to medical care during the height of the pandemic when protesters blocked hospital entrances and so much was unknown about the virus. He said that he took great care of her from the time she was admitted to the hospital. Preparing for surgery from discharge to recovery.
The recovery was tough, but Brathwaite diligently did all the exercise given to him by his doctors and gradually increased his walking time. Having the surgery done during the pandemic gave him time to rest and recover.
“I pay tribute to the Canucks organization, the hockey community, the medical community, and everyone who helped me during that time, especially Deborah, my brother Fredrik, and my mom and dad,” Brathwaite said.
“After the surgery, it took me about two years to get back to my normal self and be able to do more than I have in the past 12 years.”
He was part of a support group throughout his recovery and said it was eye-opening to see how many people received organ donations and how many lives were saved through the selflessness of others. .
Watching Brathwaite fly around the rink in the tunnel, shuttle kids to and from the ice, and take Canucks alumni to meet-and-greets, you can tell he loves what he does. , you can see that the payoff is 10x.
“Working with the Canucks, we’re giving a lot to a lot of people, but it’s also coming back to me at the same time,” he said.
Growing up in Ottawa, he lived for hockey. Some days he would play from sunrise to sunset at an outdoor rink, and he and his brother, former NHL goaltender Fred Brathwaite, were always on the lookout for the best ice.
Brathwaite spent 14 years with the Canucks working on projects such as Every Kid’s Dream, Junior Trainer, Mini Minor and First Stride. The goal of these projects is to give kids from all backgrounds across the state the opportunity to experience the magic of skating on NHL game days and in his NHL arenas.
“What I like about my job is working with kids. I guess I’m childish at heart,” he said. “I’m really grateful to have had the opportunity to work in hockey instead of in another industry, and I feel like working here is where I belong.”
Brathwaite’s own journey of resilience and gratitude also shines through in his tireless dedication to enriching the lives of his young fans and their families. Driven by his true passion for this sport, he continues to contribute both on and off the ice.
For more information about Green Shirt Day or to register as an organ donor, click here. https://greenshirtday.ca/register/.
