Tag: American Kidney Fund

Rebels have their head coach . . . Giants’ guy moving on . . . Pats to introduce new one today

One new coach coming in . . . one veteran coach leaving . . . and another new coach to be introduced today (Thursday) . . . such was Wednesday in the WHL . . .

Derrick Walser is the new head coach of the Red Deer Rebels, replacing Steve RedDeerKonowalchuk who left the organization after his second season with the team. . . . Walser, 45, had been an assistant coach with the OHL’s Peterborough Petes since 2017. The Petes won the OHL title last season. . . . As a player, he spent five seasons in the QMJHL, split between the Beauport Harfangs and Rimouski Oceanic. He then went on to a 19-season professional career before turning to coaching. The coaching career began with the Belfast Giants of the Elite Ice Hockey League where he was the playing head coach for two seasons. . . . The Rebels’ news release is right here.

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Steve Ewen of Postmedia reported that head coach Michael Dyck is leaving the VancouverVancouver Giants after five seasons with the team. Ewen wrote that “multiple sources” indicated that Dyck will be joining the Toronto Marlies, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs, as an assistant coach. . . . Dyck took over as the Giants’ head coach for the 2018-19 season and guided them to the WHL final where they lost Game 7, 3-2 in OT, to the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Ewen’s complete story is right here.

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The Regina Pats are to name their new head coach today (Thursday). The Reginaleading candidate would appear to be Brad Herauf, an assistant coach with the team since 2015-16. From Regina, he spent two seasons as head coach of the U18 AAA Regina Pat Canadians before joining the Pats as an assistant coach. . . . John Paddock, the Pats’ vice-president of hockey operations, general manager and head coach, announced his retirement on Monday. Alan Millar now is the vice-president of hockey ops and GM.

Paddock
Here’s a photo from the late 1980s of a couple of men who went on to coach in the WHL. That’s Don Nachbaur (26) getting a tip from John Paddock, then the head coach of the AHL’s Hershey Bears. Thanks to Craig West for the photo.

Paul Friesen touched base with a couple of Manitobans the other day, both of whom have ties to the WHL and both of whom now have their names on the Stanley Cup. Vaughn Karpan runs the Vegas Golden Knights’ pro scouting department; Bob Lowes is in charge of amateur scouting. And they both were more than thrilled to see their names etched on Lord Stanley’s mug. . . . Friesen’s piece is right here. . . . BTW, I cannot tell a lie. When the photo of the Golden Knights’ place on the Stanley Cup hit social media, the first thing I did was check for three names — Karpan, Lowes and Kelly McCrimmon. It did my heart a lot of good to see them there. Well done, gentlemen!

Things could get interesting when it’s time for the IIHF to hear bids for the 2026 World Junior Championship. KSDK News out of St. Louis reported Tuesday that “the St. Louis Sports Commission and St. Louis Blues have put together a coalition to bid to host” the 2026 event that would open on Dec. 26, 2005. . . . Short afterwards, Gord Miller of TSN, who has a lot of sources in and around the IIHF through his role as the network’s primary play-by-play voice of the tournament, tweeted: “Hearing Seattle, Tampa and Vegas are also interested in hosting the 2026 World Juniors in the US.”

The junior B Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League, which features 11 teams, announced on Tuesday that it has “applied to BC Hockey, asking to reclassify as a junior A league for the 2023-24 season.” . . . This means that two of the province’s three junior B leagues have applied to BC Hockey for junior A status. The 20-team Kootenay International Junior Hockey League, which includes the Spokane Braves, said last month that it wants to move up. . . . At the moment, B.C. doesn’t have a junior A league because the BCHL has chosen to go (a) rogue, (b) outlaw, (c) independent, or (d) all of the above, and operate outside of Hockey Canada. . . . From a VIJHL news conference: “Recent meetings with BC Hockey and the three leagues (VIJHL, PJHL, KIJHL) have assisted to get a better understanding of the issues that need to be addressed and potential course of action to remedy the concern. . . . The focus on the three leagues is to provide an avenue or pathway that our B.C.-born players can choose to follow their hockey aspirations. All three junior B leagues continue to work collaboratively to assist in filling the void.” . . . The 14-team Pacific Junior Hockey League operates on the province’s Lower Mainland. The PJHL hasn’t yet indicated if it, too, wants junior A status.

Wakeupcall

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

The Portland Winterhawks have acquired G Justen Maric, 19, from the Moose Jaw Warriors for s sixth-round selection in the WHL’s 2026 draft. Maric went 16-1-0, 2.39, .934 in 17 regular-season appearances with the SJHL’s Battlefords North Stars last season. From Edmonton, Maric got into three games with the Warriors last season (0-1-0, 3.84, .864). . . . He was a fifth-round pick by the Red Deer Rebels in the WHL’s 2019 draft but played in only one game with them in the 2021-22 season. . . .

F Nate Danielson of the Brandon Wheat Kings has signed a three-year entry-level deal with the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings. They selected him ninth overall in the 2023 NHL draft. . . . Danielson, from Edmonton, has 33 goals and 45 assists in 68 games last season. . . . He won’t turn 19 until Sept. 27 and has to be returned to the Wheat Kings unless he plays in the NHL next season. . . .

Eight WHL players have been named to the roster of the Canadian team that will play in the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup that is to be played in Breclav, Czechia, and Trencin, Slovakia. The tournament is scheduled to run July 31 through Aug. 5. Canada opens on July 31 against Finland in Trencin. . . . Kris Mallette, the head coach of the Kelowna Rockets, is one of the team’s assistant coaches. . . . The complete roster is right here.

Snails

THE COACHING GAME:

The NHL’s Anaheim Ducks have added Brent Thompson to their staff as an assistant coach. Thompson, 52, is from Calgary and played three seasons (1988-91) with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . For the past nine seasons, he has been the head coach of the Bridgeport SoundTigers/Islanders, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s New York Islanders. . . . Thompson has two sons playing in the NHL — Tage is with the Buffalo Sabres; Tyce is with the New Jersey Devils.

THINKING OUT LOUD: Major League Baseball really needs to get rid of those ghastly all-star uniforms and put the players back in their team gear. Of course, it won’t happen because it’s all about selling merchandise, isn’t it? . . . Is it true that Jeff Hamilton of the independent Winnipeg Free Press is the only newspaper writer travelling the CFL beat this season? It seems that Postmedia, which owns at least 11 newspapers in CFL cities, isn’t putting any writers on the road. . . . The Edmonton Elks’ 19-game home-field losing skid is on the line tonight against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Should be fun. . . . Interestingly, the Saskatchewan Roughriders had lost seven straight at home before beating the Elks, 12-11, a week ago. . . . And the Ottawa RedBlacks had lost 13 in a row at home before they dumped the Elks, 26-7, two weeks ago.

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If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

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Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

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Or, for more information, visit right here.

Nothing

Kamloops man turns to TAP as search for kidney donor continues . . . Morin exploring all avenues in hopes of having success

Vic Morin of Kamloops has become a friend through his participation in the Kamloops Kidney Support Group. My wife, Dorothy, is a co-founder of the group.

Vic needs a kidney and has needed one for a while now. These days, he is doing peritoneal dialysis (PD) at home and also undergoes hemodialysis once each week.

If you are a Kamloops resident or perhaps a visitor to the city, you may have seen Vic in his vehicle with the decal in the back window.

Vic1
Should you happen to encounter Vic Morin in your travels around Kamloops, stop and chat with him. Who knows . . . you might end up giving him a kidney.

That decal has resulted in a handful of inquiries, but nothing that has turned into a living kidney donor.

Now Vic and his wife, Colleen, have turned to the latest thing — Transplant Ambassador Program (TAP) — in trying to find a donor. TAP has a website that includes a section titled Patients Seeking Donors. If you are looking for a donor, you are able to visit the site to post a photo and something of a biography explaining your situation. And that’s exactly what Colleen and Vic have done.

“Here’s our latest plea for a kidney for Vic,” Colleen wrote on Facebook. “If you’ve ever considered being a donor, please consider Vic and his situation.

“We have been struggling with this for years now and unfortunately haven’t found a compatible match for a donor. We are pleading from the bottom of our hearts to please consider being a donor for Vic as we are in desperate need of a kidney!!

“We also would greatly appreciate it if you would share/forward our plea.

“Thank you everyone for your help in finding a kidney for my best friend, my partner and my true love.”

If you click right here, it will take you to Patients Seeking Donors and you will be able to read Vic’s entry.

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

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Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

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Or, for more information, visit right here.

Time is everything. This is why we promise registering as an organ donor should only #TakeTwoMinutes. That’s faster than microwave popcorn! #Register2Give

Boulets take message to Pittsburgh . . . Saskatoon woman example of someone impacted by surgical waiting times . . . Poppy Family singer dies at 73

You know what’s mind-boggling? Well, let me tell you . . . the work that Bernie and Toby Boulet are doing to promote organ donation is mind-boggling. In fact, it’s gotten to the point where their efforts defy description. They are two great citizens of this world and there can be no debate about it. . . . This week they were in — wait for it! — Pittsburgh at the Center for Organ Recovery.

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As you travel around in your world, you likely are encountering a goodly number of folks who are carrying on as though the pandemic is over. After all, that seems to be what provincial governments and their health officials want us to believe.

But . . . you know what? It’s not over. Of course, that’s the take of the medical and scientific communities, which the pooh-bahs choose to pretty much ignore.

Look, we hear a lot about how hospitals are struggling to keep up, healthcare workers are out of gas and people who need surgeries have had them postponed and postponed and postponed, again and again and again.

So let’s take a moment or two and put a name and a face to one of those people who has been waiting for badly needed surgery.

Terry Rebalkin of Saskatoon has been fighting kidney disease since 2008. She needs a transplant, but first has to have parathyroid surgery, a procedure that will result in a hospital stay of up to five days.

But there aren’t any hospital recovery beds available in Saskatoon.

“Rebalkin said she was able to keep the kidney disease at bay until 2019 through dialysis and healthier living,” reported Cory Coleman of CBC News. “However, things took a turn for the worst that year when her kidneys started filling up with fluid.

“She said she has been in and out of hospitals ever since, but hasn’t been able to get adequate help, especially in emergency rooms.”

Rebalkin told Coleman: “I’ve been treated horribly when I’ve gone to the emergency room, not getting the care that I need, not getting a bed, being septic and being sent home when you’re supposed to be in the hospital.

“It seems like nobody cares because they’re so overworked and they’re tired. The staff and the health region are exhausted.”

Rebalkin now needs a walker to get around, and she and her husband have had to change residences in order to accommodate her needs.

Coleman wrote: “Rebalkin said she believes the province’s handling of COVID-19 — especially the decision to drop all mandates — is one of the reasons for ongoing surgery delays.”

As she explained to Coleman: “They’ve made COVID the most important thing, and I understand, but then they act like it’s not here. So there’s more and more beds being taken up by people that have had COVID, and I understand they’re sick, but what about the rest of us? I’ve done everything you’ve asked me to do and what have I gotten out of it? Not a thing.”

Today, she has a tentative date for surgery — May 25 — but she’s been down this road before so is quite prepared for another delay.

“I’m just hoping that my surgery will be done on the day that I need, otherwise, I mean, it doesn’t give you a good outlook on life,” she said.

“I’m not gonna lie, I’m scared . . . I just want my life back.”

So next time you hesitate to put on a mask or take any other precautionary measure stop and think about Terry Rebalkin and so many others who are in the same kind of predicament.

Coleman’s story is right here.

Susan Jacks, the lead singer for the Poppy Family, has died in a Vancouver hospital while awaiting a second kidney transplant. Jacks, who died in Surrey, B.C., on Monday, was 73. . . . She underwent a kidney transplant in 2010 with her brother, Bill, serving as the living donor. In recent days, she was suffering with infections that had her on the waiting list for a second transplant. “She was overwhelmed by infection, and her heart stopped,” Rick Pesklevits, another brother, told The Canadian Press. . . . Jacks was once married to Ted Dushinski, an all-star defensive back with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders. He died of cancer in 2005. . . . Camille Bains of CP has more right here.

Dorothy-040719Dorothy, my wife of more than a few years, is preparing to take part in the annual Kidney Walk for a ninth straight year. She has participated in every one since she underwent a kidney transplant at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver on Sept. 23, 2013. . . . The 2022 Kidney Walk will be held on June 5, but thanks to the pandemic it again will be a virtual event. . . . The Kidney Walk is a huge fund-raising venture for the Canadian Kidney Foundation and its provincial branches. By participating, Dorothy is able to give something back to an organization that has been such a big part of our lives. . . . If you would like to be on her team by making a donation you are able to do so right here.

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

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Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Want an easy win to feel great? Register to be an organ donor today. It will only #TakeTwoMinutes and you could save a life. Great deed and fuzzy feels without any hassle. #Register2Give taketwominutes.ca

Susan talks organ donation . . . What does it mean? Dad will be there on wedding day . . . You only have to register once

I previously have written here about Susan Duncan, a long-time friend and former co-worker, and how she came to donate a kidney. She recently appeared on CBC Radio in Kamloops to talk about her experiences and it certainly is worth a listen. . . . Warning: It’s an entirely positive listen! . . . You are able to do that right here.

What does kidney donation mean? Well, it means that my wife, Dorothy, is here to enjoy two granddaughters. The oldest, Kara, will be six in July. Dorothy had her kidney transplant in 2013.

To Kennedie Maidment of Kamloops it means that her father, Tony, will be part of her wedding party this month. . . . Kennedie has been a push behind organ donation ever since her father underwent a liver transplant.

Cayden Desjarlais was 28 years of age last summer when he was involved in a motorcycle accident near 100 Mile House, B.C. A short time later, his parents, Deanna and Dan, were told by doctors at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops that their son wouldn’t survive. His parents also learned that their son had registered as an organ donor. . . . You may recall that there were numerous forest fires raging in this area at that particular time. . . . Still, medical teams were able to put together a plan that resulted in Cayden’s heart, liver, kidneys and islet cells being transplanted. . . . This really is a remarkable story and Melissa Smalley of the 100 Mile Free Press has it all right here.

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

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Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Want an easy win to feel great? Register to be an organ donor today. It will only #TakeTwoMinutes and you could save a life. Great deed and fuzzy feels without any hassle. #Register2Give taketwominutes.ca

Fourth annual Green Shirt Day is almost here . . . Boulets continue to work tirelessly for organ donation

It is almost four years since the lives of Bernadine and Toby Boulet were changed forever.

Their son, Logan, was one of the 16 victims of the bus accident that involved the Humboldt Broncos, a Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League team that was on its way to Nipawin on April 6, 2018, for a playoff engagement with the Hawks.

Following Logan’s death, his organs were donated to six recipients. Since then, Bernadine and Toby have become tireless advocates for organ donation.

They were in Winnipeg last week where Mayor Brian Bowman presented them with a key to the city.

“It is profoundly moving and compassionate for a person to let the end of their life be a catalyst for the continuation of other lives,” Bowman said at a news conference as he described Bernadine and Toby as “incredible and selfless.”

They are that and then some.

In fact, if there were such a thing as a key to Canada, I would suggest that it be awarded to them. Yes, these are special people.

The work they have done, and continue to do, on behalf of organ donation and the Logan Boulet Effect is mind-boggling.

Their focus these days is on April 7, which will be the fourth annual Green Shirt Day. An untold number of Canadian structures will be lit up in green in honour of the occasion. As well, a number of Canadian jurisdictions have issued proclamations declaring April 7 as Green Shirt Day.

So consider yourself warned . . . get your green shirt ready. It’s just over a week away.

If you’re interested, there is more on Green Shirt Day right here.

Kayla Rosen of CTV News in Winnipeg has more right here on the Boulets receiving a key to the Manitoba capital.

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

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Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Time is everything. This is why we promise registering as an organ donor should only #TakeTwoMinutes. That’s faster than microwave popcorn! #Register2Give

Immunocompromised people left disappointed, frustrated and alone . . . again!

It was two years ago when we started down this road. At the time, we didn’t have any idea how bumpy the road ahead was going to be. It was early on in this Covidmess when a friend who had donated a kidney suggested that whatever was to come we were best to remember that some folks were pretty much in this alone.

She was meaning that people who are immunocompromised were going to have to put themselves first and foremost because no one else was going to do it.

And, well, here we are.

On Wednesday, B.C. reported 14 more deaths related to COVID-19, and there were four more revealed on Thursday.

Also on Thursday, Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer, and Adrian Dix, the province’s minister of health, announced an end to the mask mandate in most indoor public places, while leaving the vaccination passport system in place until April 8.

It didn’t matter that Thursday was World Kidney Day, something that didn’t even get a mention during the Dr. Henry/Dix news conference. It was just time to loosen the reins.

So, well, here we are.

On Friday, the first day when masks no longer were mandated in many B.C. locations, John Horgan, B.C.’s NDP premier, held a news conference in Victoria. The announcement of that gathering included this: “Media attending must wear a mask and practice physical distancing.”

Hey, good for Horgan to be looking after himself — he completed a series of cancer treatments in January so is immunocompromised.

However, there are a whole lot of such people who aren’t in a position to get on a transit bus and announce that everyone there must wear a mask. Or to walk into a grocery store and make the same statement.

There are a whole lot of immunocompromised people, including parents of immunocompromised children, out there who are feeling confused and disappointed and frustrated.

Look, I know that the indicators, including hospitalizations and deaths, are looking more positive. But, gee, check out what’s going on in Changchun, a city of nine million in China that has been locked down. Do some reading on what happened in Denmark after restrictions were lifted. It’s quite apparent that this pandemic isn’t anywhere close to being over.

How did we get to this place where part of society sees so many people’s lives as being as disposable as a bunch of Bic lighters? How did we get to this place where wearing a mask in certain situations is just too much of a sacrifice for some people to make, even if it means protecting others with whom they may come in contact?

In B.C., John Horgan, the premier, says he will continue to wear a mask. So, too, does Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer. If that’s the case, why did those two choose to dump the mask mandate at this particular point in time?

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One other thing . . .

Numerous experts have recommended a fourth vaccination for those who are immunocompromised. In fact, Alberta has been providing a fourth shot for well over a month now. In B.C., there hasn’t been even a mention of it.

Does anyone know why not?

Amanda Selvaratnam, the head of corporate training at the U of York in the UK, has given a kidney to her son, Phillip. She also has worked with Kidney Research UK to provide a video diary of their experience. . . . Here are Parts 1 and 2:

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Do good, feel good! Register to be an organ donor and get that warm fuzzy feeling. 1 organ donor can save up to 8 lives. Taketwominutes.ca #TakeTwoMinutes

Kidney Mom: Your supposed loss of freedom is NOT worth more than my son’s life . . . or anyone’s for that matter!!! It’s just NOT.

Jana Tremblay, a Kidney Mom from Robson B.C., posted this on Facebook recently:

JanaZach
Jana Tremblay and her son, Zach. (Photo: Jana Tremblay/Facebook)

“My heart is heavy these days . . . watching people cry ‘freedom’ over stopping the spread of this virus, and protecting our vulnerable is getting really tough to take. It’s a small kick to my heart every time I read it. PTSD flashbacks of watching him on life support flash in my brain. It’s hurtful and selfish.
“Your supposed loss of freedom is NOT worth more than my son’s life . . . or anyone’s for that matter!!! It’s just NOT.”

Four sentences and you can feel Jana’s frustration bursting from each of them.

Her teenage son, Zach, is in need of a kidney transplant, and has been for a while now. These days, he travels three times a week from Robson to Trail in order to undergo hemodialysis.

You have no idea how many people just like Zach are walking among us. You have no idea how many recipients of organ transplants are walking among us. You have no idea how many other people with medical issues are walking among us.

Most of them also will have compromised immune systems, meaning they are at high risk of contracting COVID-19, be it Delta, Omicron or some other incoming variant.

And, if you are vaccine-hesitant or an anti-vaxxer, let me tell you something else — while you haven’t yet showed up for your first vaccination, some people are getting No. 4.

A kidney transplant friend in Edmonton got No. 4 on Feb. 2. My wife, Dorothy, is waiting and hoping that she soon will get No. 4.

So, please, do the right thing and get vaccinated.

BTW, if you are vaccine-hesitant or an out-and-out anti-vaxxer, you should know that, as Amanda Connolly of Global News reported, “there appears to be growing consensus among Canadian organ transplant specialists about requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for patients looking to be placed on the wait-list for an organ donation.”

In fact, the Canadian Society of Transplantation has updated its guidance and now is prompting “any provincial and regional programs to be transparent if they choose to implement the rule.”

That complete story is right here.

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Meanwhile, Chad Carswell of Hickory, N.C., won’t be getting the kidney transplant that he needs because he refuses to get vaccinated. “I was born free; I’ll die free,” he told The Washington Post. . . . Carswell, 38, has been doing hemo-dialysis since July 2020. . . . Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Hospital has a policy that recipients and donors must be fully vaccinated. Transplant patients are at high risk for severe illness from COVID-19. They take anti-rejection medications that result in compromised immune systems. . . . The hospital told The Post in a statement that its policy“follows the current standard of care in the United States, which is to vaccinate all patients on waiting lists or being evaluated for transplant. We understand that some patients may not wish to be vaccinated. In this case, patients can opt to be evaluated at another transplant center.” . . . Carswell, who has had both of his legs amputated due to complications from diabetes, said he has had COVID on two occasions. . . . Why won’t he get vaccinated? The Post reported right here that Carswell “does not believe in conspiracy theories about the vaccines, but remains skeptical about how they were developed.” . . .

Carswell told The Post: “There is not a situation in this world that I’ll get a vaccine. If I’m laying on my deathbed, and they tell me, ‘You have a kidney waiting on you if you get this shot,’ I’ll tell them ‘I’ll see you on the other side.’ ” . . . The Associated Press reported in January that according to the family of D.J. Ferguson, a Massachusetts hospital had denied him a heart transplant because he refused to get vaccinated. And there have been reports that the same thing happened to a woman in Colorado who needs a kidney.

Wilbert Mora, a 27-year-old New York City Police officer, died after a shootout in Harlem on Jan. 21. His family, upon hearing of his death, immediately gave  permission for organ transplantation. His heart, liver, kidneys and pancreas went to five different people. There is more on that story right here.

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Want an easy win to feel great? Register to be an organ donor today. It will only #TakeTwoMinutes and you could save a life. Great deed and fuzzy feels without any hassle. #Register2Give taketwominutes.ca

Teenage transplant hopeful named COTS ambassador for 2022 . . . Robson, B.C., resident waits, hopes for new kidney

The Children’s Organ Transplant Society of BC has named Zach Tremblay of Robson, B.C., as its 2022 Ambassador.

Zach, a graduate of Stanley Humphries Secondary in Castlegar, will turn 19 in March and is a candidate for a kidney transplant. Born with renal hypoplasia-dysplasia, he has had one transplant, on June 1, 2017, but there was a problem and the ‘new’ kidney had to be removed.

Two years ago, his mother, Jana, told Gord McIntyre of Postmedia what had happened:

“What should have been a fairly routine four-hour surgery lasted about eight hours. They finally came and found my husband and me to tell us that a technical error had been made during the surgery and it cut off the blood flow to the kidney.”

McIntyre added: “Two more surgeries were performed overnight trying to save the kidney. When a test the next morning showed the kidney was not functioning, Zach required a fourth operation within 24 hours to remove the failed organ.”

He has made the transition from peritoneal dialysis to hemodialysis, but that has meant travelling to Trail three times a week because there isn’t a facility in Castlegar. At one point, early in 2020, he and Jana were forced to live at Ronald McDonald House in Vancouver for a period of time so that Zach could do hemodialysis there, while he waited to turn 17. He had to be 17 in order for the hospital in Trail to take over his treatments.

What all of this means, of course, is that Zach is well-positioned for this new position as the 2022 Ambassador for COTS. Not only that, but he already has had an impact in the world of organ donation.

Here’s a note that Joan Alexander, a friend of Jana’s, posted on Facebook on Jan. 18:

“Several years ago, on this day, I became an NDD (non-directed kidney donor). Zach got me started on my journey and, although I was not a match for him, I was able to donate to someone else. I am well, healthy and would donate again if I could.

“As an active volunteer for The Kidney Foundation of Canada, Atlantic Branch PEI, I advocate and raise funds for donors and recipients.

“Look at Zach now! He is the 2022 Ambassador of the Children’s Organ Transplant Society! He continues to wait for a miracle and struggles with all of the health implications that long-term dialysis brings.

“Please consider being tested for Zach.”

Zach3

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Time is everything. This is why we promise registering as an organ donor should only #TakeTwoMinutes. That’s faster than microwave popcorn! #Register2Give

Lower Mainland woman looking for kidney with high antibodies . . .

Yvonne

Just before Christmas, I spotted what follows on Facebook, posted by Yvonne Langlois, who is in the Lower Mainland of B.C., and waiting, waiting, waiting and hoping for a kidney transplant. She provides an awfully good overview of what it’s like to be in her position, especially because of the role antibodies are playing.

Here it is, in her words, with a minimum amount of editing; the ALL CAPS are hers:

“I thought that I would share this again to bring attention to the critical need for Living Donor Kidney transplants.

“My kidney doctor, Dr. Gil from St. Paul’s Hospital, called last week for an update on my health and to let me know where I was on the (transplant) list. I have being doing (hemo-)dialysis three times a week for over eight years, traveling to Abbotsford and Vancouver and even Mission for tests.

“I am near the top BUT unfortunately it is my high antibodies holding me back.

“What are high antibodies? They protect my body from infections and anything foreign that might harm me, They would see a kidney and basically try to reject it.

“I need a kidney that has HIGH ANTIBODIES that (will) get along with mine.

“I asked Dr. Gil: ‘Where do you find one of these?’

“Well he said — and this is exactly what he said — ‘SOMEONE WHO DOES NOT LOOK LIKE YOU.’

“ ‘Oh . . .,’ I said, ‘you mean somebody from a different culture than me.’

“ ‘Yes,’ he said.

“ ‘This is so funny,’ I told him.

“If we all did DNA testing we would find out we all have so many old families from all over the world in our histories. Is that not true of your family. All of our ancestors were nomads all over the world . . . no borders!

“Anyway . . . what I am asking . . . no, pleading for from all of you reading this is ‘Could you find a small place in your heart to think about sharing one of your precious kidneys with me if it matches, or with someone else?’

“It really is the very best gift you ever could give. Age is not a factor in those that need or those that give.

“If you belong to any churches or clubs please pass this message on.

“I am asking everyone to look into the Living Donor Program. It is the greatest gift you will ever give. Actually, I am being selfish as there is a need for all kinds of organ donors.

“Please, please sign up to be a Living Organ Donor. You are able to do that at www.blood.ca.

“Merry Christmas everyone out there.

“Stay safe and Happy Holidays.”

I noticed this tweet on Dec. 23 . . .

This would be the first human organ transplant of any kind that resulted in long-term survival. . . . Bryan Marquard of the Boston Globe wrote on Dec. 30, 2010, that Richard, who was to receive a kidney from his identical twin, Ronald, wasn’t sure he wanted to go through with it. Ronald’s wife, Cynthia, told Marquard: “Ron got a note from Richard the night of the surgery telling him to get out of there and go home. Ron sent a note back saying, I’m here, and I’m going to stay, and that’s it.” . . . The brothers were 23 years of age. . . . After surgery, Richard lived for eight more years, at least seven years more than previous transplant recipients. . . . Ronald, who had heart issues later in life, died in December 2010 after undergoing heart surgery in October. . . . Marquard’s story is right here.

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Do good, feel good! Register to be an organ donor and get that warm fuzzy feeling. 1 organ donor can save up to 8 lives. Taketwominutes.ca #TakeTwoMinutes

Major breakthrough involving anti-rejection meds . . . Kidney foundation calls for third dose for immuno-compromised

A Vancouver Sun headline jumped off my laptop screen and hit me square between the eyes the other day. It read: B.C. researchers discover way to reduce organ rejection following a transplant. . . . It carried this subhead: “Finding has the potential to eliminate need for drugs on which transplant recipients rely to prevent their immune systems from attacking a new organ as a foreign object.” . . . Gordon McIntyre of Postmedia wrote that UBC’s team “found that by using a special polymer to coat blood vessels on the organ to be transplanted, organ rejection in mice was substantially reduced, results confirmed by collaborators at Simon Fraser and Northwestern University in Illinois.” . . . Oh boy, this will be big, big in the transplant community if things continue to pan out. My wife, Dorothy, had a kidney transplant almost eight years ago. She takes anti-rejection drugs twice a day — 12 hours apart — every day. . . . It could be years before the process has gone far enough for clinical trials in humans, but, at least so far, the work involving mice really is looking promising. . . . The complete story is right here.

Dentist
If you are awaiting a kidney transplant, it doesn’t matter your age — there are all kinds of medical visits in your immediate future. That’s how Ferris Backmeyer, 4, of Kamloops found herself in a dentist’s chair on Thursday afternoon. Hey, is Ferris the picture of cool, or what? BTW, all went well. (Photo: Lindsey Backmeyer/Facebook)

Ferrisposter

Heron
Which one doesn’t belong? There was a stranger among a flock of geese in a hay field along Shuswap Road east of Kamloops on Thursday afternoon. The field is on the north shore of the South Thompson River where herons often spend time fishing.

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Do good, feel good! Register to be an organ donor and get that warm fuzzy feeling. 1 organ donor can save up to 8 lives. Taketwominutes.ca #TakeTwoMinutes