Manitobans can now register their intent to donate their organs and tissues online thanks to a new online organ and tissue donation registry, the Province announced, Monday.

"The funding was announced this time last year during awareness week. We were working on building the site and then we had it ready for launch on Monday," said Jillian Barrott, communications coordinator for Transplant Manitoba, Gift of Life, and SignUpForLife.ca.

Any Manitoba resident ages 18 and over can sign up at SignUpForLife.ca and register their intent to become an organ donor. Their decisions will then be stored in a secure Manitoba eHealth database for future use by medical professionals.

"Currently Manitoba has over 300 people on wait lists for various organ transplants. If you are able to be a donor as your last act as a person on this Earth it's the gift of life. It's really wonderful if you can give that gift to someone else," said Barrott.

If you do choose organ donation you have the chance to touch multiple lives.

"With organ donation you can save up to eight lives: you can donate your heart, your liver can be split into two lobes, your lungs, your pancreas, you have two kidneys, and your small bowel can also be donated," said Barrott.

Manitobans who sign up are also given the option to donate their body and organs to scientific research or medical education.

For more information or to register your intent to donate visit www.signupforlife.ca.

For the full story see Wednesday's edition of the Portage Daily Graphic.