Growing up on Matheson Island, I enjoyed many years as a commercial fisherman on the waters of Lake Winnipeg. Life changed six years ago when I was first diagnosed with kidney disease as a result of my diabetes. 

In October of 2018, I was told by my medical team that I would need to start dialysis. There are a few options available for dialysis treatment, but my wife Virginia and I made the decision to dialyze at home on the island.  At the time, we weren’t sure what was involved in home-hemodialysis. We attended the six-week training course in Winnipeg. Home-hemodialysis was a joint venture for us; she would handle the machine, while I would do the needling - six hours a day, four days a week.

A year later, I received a call that a donor had come forward.  I wasn’t aware of anyone in my life who was currently being tested and none of my friends or family came forward to reveal they were a match.  At that point, curiosity about the identity of the donor set in.

A few months later, in mid-September, long-time friends of ours paid us a surprise visit. Geraldine and her husband, Keith, travelled three hours from Winnipeg over gravel roads and ferry boat to the island. Geraldine and Virginia grew up together in Riverton; their parents were also friends. Over the years we would see each other at socials or special occasions, but this was the first time they had visited our home.  As a former dialysis nurse, it seemed normal for Geraldine to want to look at my home dialysis setup.

When Geraldine revealed that she had undergone testing to be my donor and that she was a viable match for me, my jaw just hit the floor and I gave her a big hug.

Since Geraldine and I are not blood relatives, the odds were stacked against our transplant being a success. After some minor complications and the untimely arrival of a global pandemic, our surgeries were pushed back from January to March, and ultimately to October 2020.  Virginia couldn't see me until the day after my surgery but was able to visit with me in the ICU every day during my two-week in hospital recovery. 

I continue to be closely watched by my medical team to ensure I do not experience rejection. The transplant has given Virginia and I a new lease on life and restored our freedom. When it is safe to do so, we look forward to travelling and visiting with our friends and families.

If I could give someone who has kidney disease a piece of advice; hang in there, there is a lot of work involved, but keep your spirits high, there’s always hope. You must balance your life and work around your kidney disease. I wish there was more information out there for people who are being a living donor and what their recovery would look like, and how their lives change little after donating a kidney. For anyone thinking of donating a kidney, really think about it, it does not just help one person, it helps so many people, not only the person who has kidney disease, but their families, friends and caregivers as well.

Sign up to be an organ donor: signupforlife.ca