'This is about saving lives'

In Canada, and around the world, there is limited discussion by Indigenous Peoples about organ donation and transplantation, including discussions about living kidney donation. A new animated film called Sacred Gift looks to address this issue by bringing awareness about living donation through Indigenous storytelling. 

The film, which was animated, directed and edited by Indigenous Story Studio, Inc., was recently shortlisted among 32 other global entries to the International Society of Nephrology’s community film event. You can view all the films and vote for your favourites (until noon on Jan. 10) here.

Sacred Gift  was produced by Faculty of Social Work researcher Dr. Caroline Tait, Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Health Equity and Inclusion, and is based upon the true story of First Nations brothers, Kevin and Craig Settee, who were also part of the Indigenous team that developed the story with the support of Sean Muir and the Indigenous Story Studio team.

“I'm really proud of this,” says Tait. “I think that Kevin and Craig, in their conversations with Sean and through the conversations we all had, came up with an animation that will be well received by our Indigenous health leaders, Elders, youth and patients and families.  

"The animation will help fill a gap in education directed at Indigenous Peoples and others about the importance of living kidney donation. I'm very proud of the fact that the animation has applicability beyond Indigenous Peoples and it shows what Indigenous Peoples can do together to improve our health and the health of others.” 

Film provides cultural context to Indigenous audiences

Though the film is designed for everyone, the Indigenous team focused on telling the brothers’ story in a way designed to spark conversations across Indigenous nations and globally. 

“High rates of kidney disease and end-stage kidney failure exist in many Indigenous populations, including Canada,” says Tait, who is also the Interim Indigenous Platform Lead for the Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program, centred in the Faculty of Social Work. 

“I think the video is important, not only because we (Indigenous Peoples) have diverse cultural understandings about organ donation and transplantation that are grounded in ideas of the body, personhood and spirituality, but also that Indigenous Peoples commonly face insurmountable barriers to access transplant medicine. Many Indigenous patients who require a kidney transplant don’t even realize living donation is an option or if they do, they find out very late in their illness journey.  

"Our video will help raise awareness that living donation can be culturally acceptable and also inform Indigenous patients and families that they can inquire early on in their illness journey about living donation as a treatment option.”

This is about saving lives

The true story begins when young hockey player Kevin Settee first notices blood in his urine as a 10-year-old. It outlines Kevin’s despair and increasing isolation over his childhood and into his early 20s. In Kevin’s early 20s, a call goes out to family and community members for someone to be a kidney donor for Kevin.  Kevin’s older brother Craig is found to be a match and after speaking with his aunt, Craig decides to donate one of his kidneys to his brother. The transplant was life-changing for Kevin and saved his life. He now enjoys a healthy normal life, including the joy of playing hockey again, his lifelong passion. 

Producing a nearly 10-minute animated film with professional artists and producers isn’t an inexpensive proposition and Tait says she was skeptical — until she saw the first draft.  

“I was in tears. It was so emotional,” she says. “I didn't expect to feel emotion watching an animation. We would never have been able to create something quite so powerful ourselves. We're talking about living donation and the importance of people thinking about being living donors and about saving lives. This is about saving lives.” 

Effective knowledge translation through a beautiful story

The film also supports the knowledge translation work in Tait’s larger research agenda as a Canada Research Chair, which is focused on Indigenous patient-oriented research and knowledge translation, grounded in the lived experience of Indigenous patients, families and communities. 

“Unfortunately,” says Tait, “Indigenous populations globally do not receive much attention at international forums, specifically around end-stage organ failure and organ donation and transplantation. In telling Kevin and Craig’s story, we can show our people what it means to be a living donor and answers important questions, including: Are there health risks? What happens when you become a donor? Can you live with having just one kidney? How long is recovery? All those questions were answered in a very subtle way through a beautiful story.” 

Tait and the team are now working to have the film translated into Indigenous languages in Canada and have released the video globally on YouTube.