' and bottlefuls of prescription pills. At its best the ailment made Belanger sleep 15 hours daily. At its worst, Belanger experienced extreme moodiness described tongue-in- cheek as 10 times more severe than a woman with pre-menstrual syndrome. In the 12 years preceding Belanger's transplant, his liver gradu- ally self-destructed. And so did his life. He was too tired to hold a job. And he was afraid. He was afraid to love for fear of he'd only hurt those who cared. But during one of his countless hospital visits, Belanger met a man, like himself, whose life hung on a thread. The man was married with kids. And he told Belanger he wouldn't change his life for anyone That chance meeting changed Belanger's life. Soon after he met a | woman named Annette, whom he would later marry. Unfortunately, his marriage was not meant to be. The disease, j along with its side effects, took their toll and the couple split. His liver disease got progressively worse. Belanger knew he would- n't live much longer. But last November 30 Belanger got the call which would save his \ life. "Everything really happened fast, I hardly had time to think about j things," he said. The eight-hour operation was a success. Belanger I owes his survival to increases in transplant technology. Success rates have improved since 1980. Transplants are almost commonplace. Unfortunately, medical technology has outpaced organ donation, j Only about 200 organs were donated in Ontario last year, said ; Multiple Organ and Retrieval Exchange spokesman Pat Sherbin. As of December 738 people in Canada were awaiting transplants. Thirty- five of those had liver disease. Potential donor recipients are put on a waiting list. Only those in dire need receive the precious organs. Said Sherbin: "There's still a critical shortage of organs. We have to realize that organs give someone else life." 13/9,,3.