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Rhonda's Story

On October 17, 2019 we had a very successful transplant, the best match the team has seen!
I am a proud living donor and passionate to advocate for kidney disease and organ donation awareness.

My daughter Alexis was diagnosed in 2016 at the age of 14 with FSGS (Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis).
By age 16 she went into renal failure. Her pediatric nephrology team was in Winnipeg as pediatric dialysis was not available in Thunder Bay. When it was time to choose a modality, the choices were slim because of our location and situation; the best option for Alexis was to go on peritoneal dialysis (PD). This meant she had to have peritoneal catheter surgery and my husband, and I had to train to administer her dialysis at home. Her treatments were every night for 10 hours. It was extremely difficult to see how as a teen, her chronic kidney disease drastically changed her life in such a challenging and difficult way.  However, Alexis did not let that stop her from doing the things she loves. In February 2019, with her nephrologist’s approval, Alexis participated in the Mealy Classic, a ski competition, in Sault Ste. Marie. She came home with a gold and three silver medals! The support she received from her team and fellow competitors was amazing.

As soon as I was able to, I went through the process of seeing if I was a match to donate a kidney to my daughter. After many months of travelling to Winnipeg I was informed in September 2019 that I was able to be her living donor. We had just a few weeks to move to Winnipeg for the transplant! 

On October 17, 2019 we had a very successful transplant, the best match the team has seen! Alexis is now 19 years old and 18 months post transplant and the healthiest she’s been for years. This is why I feel so passionate to advocate for organ donation awareness. She may need several more kidneys in her lifetime. If I can donate a kidney at age 50 then anyone can! I'm living proof!