EDMONTON – More than 800 Albertans are waiting for an organ or tissue transplant. On Wednesday, that number will be one less as a local dad is set to give his only son his spare kidney.
“Obviously it’s your child and most people do anything at all costs for their child,” said Geoff Dorward. “They could tell me that I’d be the one on dialysis after this is done and I’d still go ahead and do it.”
Over the years, his 15-year-old son, Jax, has lost some of his hearing, and most of his ability to walk. At age five, he was diagnosed with FSGS kidney disease, which became much worse this year.
“They realized in January that his kidneys were indeed failing, and that he would have to be put on dialysis and put on a transplant list,” his dad said.
The teen was placed on a home version of a dialysis machine, which filtered his blood every night for ten hours. If he moved, an alarm would go off.
While he admits that he’s a little bit scared for the transplant, he’s happy that he won’t have to be on dialysis anymore.
After missing about a year of school because of his health problems, he’s also excited to go back, and to try swimming again.
The Dorwards know they’re lucky his dad was a match, since many others stay on the waiting list for years.
“I would encourage everyone to get their name on that list, on that registry and definitely help other families in need – there are a lot of them out there,” Geoff Dorward said.
You can follow the Dorward family’s journey on Facebook.
With files from Su-Ling Goh, Global News
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