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HOW IT HAPPENED: Guelph stranger who donated his liver to save a baby's life

GuelphToday reporter Anam Khan how she got the heart-wrenching tale of a baby in need of a new liver and the stranger who stepped up to help save its life
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Donor Derek Roy and baby Matthew Philip Benham meet each other for the first time mid November after they successfully underwent liver transplant surgery in October. Supplied photo

On Aug. 15, the Village Media news desk received an earnest message from a woman in Guelph inquiring if we would do a story on her baby nephew.

She, the aunt, briefly described the condition of her five-month nephew and pleaded to save him from his ‘imminent death’ by spreading the word that he needed a liver transplant. 

I spoke to her and the baby’s mom, Sheryl Benham that week. Sheryl was in tears. She described how dire the situation was and how the family was scrambling to find a liver donor when they themselves were not a match. Meanwhile, the baby was in SickKids for two months with an enlarged abdomen, yellow eyes was fed through a J tube, and looked awfully sick in the photo. 

The message was clear. If baby Matthew did not get a liver transplant soon, he would not live. 

Soon after the article published on the morning of Aug. 15, I was astonished at the selflessness of humanity.

Several people in Guelph contacted me to offer a part of their liver to Matthew. I quickly put the contact information for SickKids in the article (something I should have done at the beginning) and also directed those emails to SickKids.

Now it was a waiting game. The process of finding a liver match takes time. 

Matthew was on my mind after. The story was shared over 4,200 times. I contacted SickKids to learn more about the progress of his health but they refused to share confidential information regarding patients.

Exactly three months later, I received an email from Matthew’s aunt Bernice Muma saying the article was a success in finding a match, Matthew underwent surgery early October and both he and the donor were doing well. 

The gesture touched my heart and I knew it would touch the heart of anyone who heard the story.

When I spoke to Sheryl, she was in tears once again. This time, tears of joy. 

READ THE STORY HERE:

She and Bernice spoke very highly of Derek Roy, the donor whose only reason to go through the lengthy and demanding process of a liver transplant was that he felt it was the right thing to do. 

I might have written the story but my only role in this was that of a messenger. To tell others’ stories is a privilege. The story was a humble reminder of the responsibility of that role. 

Once again, the story was shared far and wide. People on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn commended the heroism of Derek Roy who saved a life and never sought any kind of attention for his actions. 

The photo that captured the moment between Derek and Matthew looking at each other at Bernice’s home was alone worth a thousand words. 

It brought tears, inspiration, and most importantly a constant reminder that we all needed especially during a pandemic, that humanity is a beautiful, beautiful thing.


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Anam Khan

About the Author: Anam Khan

Anam Khan is a journalist who covers numerous beats in Guelph and Wellington County that include politics, crime, features, environment and social justice
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