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Alberta mom’s life-saving liver transplant inspires daughter to donate to stranger

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Mom’s life-saving liver transplant inspires daughter to donate to stranger
WATCH: An Airdrie mom was running out of time and was desperate for an organ donation. As Jill Croteau reports, she got that life-saving gift and it inspired one of her loved ones to do the same selfless gesture – Oct 27, 2022

Cindy Harris was diagnosed with a rare liver disease called primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). There is no cure for PSC and the only hope Harris had was to get on the transplant list.

“I had a lot of people testing for me,” Harris said.

The Airdrie woman had to break the news to her three adult children.

“That was the hardest part,” Harris said.

Family photo. Courtesy: Harris Family

Without hesitation, her two sons and her daughter, Stephanie Lunn, wanted to be tested in hopes one of them was a match.

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“They thought they were going to be the one and none of them were,” Harris said.

“Once I found out I wasn’t a match for my mom, I was devastated,” Lunn said.

For months, they waited and worried.

“You wake up and you think are we going to get a call and you go to bed thinking, ‘Is this ever going to happen?'” Lunn said.

Cindy Harris. Courtesy: Harris Family

It did happen. A close family friend and former neighbour Dawnie McElligot offered to get tested. She is also Harris’ massage therapist.

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“When Cindy told me about this while I was massaging her, I just thought: ‘Yeah, it’s me. It’s going to be me,'” McElligot said.

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Cindy and Dawnie before the surgery. Courtesy: Harris Family

“I was thinking about it for a while and some of my other clients tested and they weren’t matches, so I said to my husband: ‘I think it’s time.'”

When she found out she was a perfect match, she shared the news with the family.

Stephanie Lunn and Dawnie McElligot. Jill Croteau/Global News

“We have hope now,” McElligot said.

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The transplant surgery took place on April 4.

Dawnie and Cindy at a post-op appointment. Courtesy: Harris Family

“To think someone would do this is keep my life going, it’s amazing,” Harris said.

“It’s the most amazing gift to give to anybody.”

“We talk five times a day. My mom and I are close. I don’t know what we would have done if Dawnie didn’t do this,” Lunn said. “She’s amazing. It’s a miracle.

“There’s nothing we can do or say to thank her enough. She saved my mom’s life.”

“I’ve seen all her kids and her grandchildren grow up,” McElligot said. “It wasn’t just about saving Cindy; it’s knowing the whole family. You know you’re helping more than just one individual.”

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Cindy Harris with her donor Dawnie. Jill Croteau/Global News

Her compassion was contagious. Despite Lunn’s liver not being suitable for her mom, she wanted to have the chance to give a part of it to someone else.

“I just got a call on Oct. 17. I’ve been approved to do anonymous donation of my left lateral lobe to a pediatric patient,” Lunn said.

“She’s able to donate and that’s a huge thing,” Harris said. “You can give a child a life.

“I am very proud of her.”

The women are encouraging others to consider signing up for organ donation.

“So many people die needlessly on the waiting list,” Harris said. “It doesn’t have to be that way.”

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Record-setting year for organ donations and transplants

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