Born with a condition known as Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD), Debbie Jamison from Toronto is searching for a live kidney donor, and that search has made its way into Guelph thanks to local resident Dennis O’Reilly.
While the two live in separate cities, they share a connection to a small community outside of Port Dover on the shore of Lake Erie where the duo befriended as neighbours roughly seven years ago.
And while the signage isn’t akin to something one is used to seeing in Canada, let alone Guelph, when O’Reilly put the sign up outside his home at 234 Paisley St. pleading for help in finding a kidney for Jamison, and with the busy road, he expected it to get a lot of exposure.
“She’s a good friend, and trying to raise awareness for kidneys, not only for her but for other people,” said O'Reilly. “From what I’ve learned there has got to be a number of things that match before a donor can be acceptable. Hopefully, the end result is getting a kidney either directly or indirectly for Debbie.”
In February of this year, Jamison’s nephrologist told her she would be in renal failure and would need dialysis or a transplant within 12-18 months.
“I am now in my mid-40s and at the point where I need intervention as my kidneys do not work well enough to keep me alive,” said Jamison. “ It is hereditary which is why it makes my journey a bit more difficult due to the fact my immediate family cannot help me as they carry the same genetic disorder.”
Due to the hereditary nature of PKD, Jamison took the drastic measure into her own hands, and with the help of her lakeside neighbours, they began putting stickers on their cars and signs in their hometowns to widen the kidney search.
“My ultimate goal is to skip dialysis altogether and find a living donor during this period of time I have been given as a transplant would offer me more freedom and the ability to live a longer, healthier, more normal life,” said Jamison.
"Unfortunately, getting on the diseased donor list is not possible until I have been on dialysis, which once I am on could take anywhere from five to seen years to find a match," said Jamison.
Dialysis consists of going to the hospital three or four times a week for four hours at a time, which helps Jamison's kidneys keep her body in balance.
The camaraderie of the lakeside community has helped push Jamison's kidney search outside of the Port Dover region, with signs spreading out to to the cities her neighbours originate from
“I have them in Niagara, in Barrie and wherever my friends and family are,” said Jamison.
With the signs dotting communities in select towns in Southern Ontario, Jamison said she has received upwards of 20 calls from strangers asking how they can get involved in determining if they would be a donor match.
“We would be happy if someone else is interested in posting signs in other areas of Guelph or other cities we would be happy to try and get them to them and just continue the fight,” said O’Reilly.
Those interested in reaching out to Jamison can email her at [email protected]. Jamison can provide the medical forms to fill out to find out if they are a match. The forms and medical history forms and forward them to the hospital.
