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.
Without hesitation, her two sons and her daughter, Stephanie Lunn, wanted to be tested in hopes one of them was a match.
“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.
It did happen. A close family friend and former neighbour Dawnie McElligot offered to get tested. She is also Harris’ massage therapist.
“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.
“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.
“We have hope now,” McElligot said.
The transplant surgery took place on April 4.
“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.”
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.
“I wasn’t able to help my mom and I’m going to help somebody else.”
“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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