Team
OUR STORY
NKDO Canada began when its founders, inspired by each of their experiences, identified a need to improve the rate of living kidney donation in Canada.
Inspired by a TEDxTalk by Ned Brooks, a living donor and founder of NKDO USA, Alberta-based Olive Bensler became a non-directed living kidney donor and one of our founding members.
In Eastern Canada, co-founder Susan Shefner was a hopeful kidney recipient, awaiting her turn on the lengthy waitlist. The Shefner family was introduced to the US NKDO team, who opened their eyes to the idea of advocating for yourself as a recipient and allowed them to speak with people who had received successful kidney transplants. Those conversations reenergized Susan and gave their family the hope that she would receive her kidney, which, months later, she did. Susan, Barry and Tiffany were so impressed with the support that they received that they made it their mission to bring NKDO to Canada.
Across the country, Keith Landra was in the process of anonymously donating his kidney in Alberta. Keith was eager to further improve kidney donation rates and outcomes for Canadians and joined them as one of the founding board members.
The team has since grown to include a network of individuals who have all been impacted by kidney donation in some way. Together, our team is passionate about making improvements for Canadian donors, recipients and their support networks while improving the rate of living kidney donation across the country.
Ellis Mirsky
NKDO US Liaison
Ellis Mirsky is a member of the National Kidney Donation Organization (U.S.) board of directors and its legal counsel. Ellis is a 2017 living kidney transplant recipient who has devoted substantial time pro bono in various areas. His work includes assisting kidney patients and living donors to understand and navigate the kidney transplant journey and improving access to transplant education. Ellis helped form a local non-profit that conducts driver organ donor registration drives. Separately, Ellis also sits on the board and various committees of the New York Bar Foundation, the grant-making arm of the New York Bar Association providing funding for non-profit legal service organizations throughout the State. He also practices law in New York.