Living Transplant: Patient Stories | Organ Donation | Medical Experts

Bonus Episode: Remember This- Glenna

During Living Donation Week 2021, we partnered with the podcast, Remember This, with host Amanda Cupido to highlight first person living organ donation stories submitted through an online app. In this episode, Glenna shares her journey as a non-directed, living anonymous donor, meaning she donated 62% of her liver to a stranger! Enjoy!

The views and opinions expressed in this interview do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Toronto General Hospital or the University Health Network.

To submit your story, please reach out to us at [email protected]

For more information about Living Liver Donation visit https://www.uhn.ca/Transplant/Living_Donor_Program/Pages/living_liver_donor.aspx

During Living Donation Week 2021, we partnered with the podcast, Remember This, hosted by Amanda Cupido to highlight first person living organ donation stories submitted through an online app. In this episode, Katie shares her journey as a living liver donor to her husband Simon and its impact on their family. Enjoy!

To submit your story, please reach out to us at [email protected]

For more information about Living Liver Donation visit https://www.uhn.ca/Transplant/Living_Donor_Program/Pages/living_liver_donor.aspx

Bonus Episode: Remember This- Palma
During Living Donation Week 2021, we partnered with the podcast, Remember This, with host Amanda Cupido to highlight first person living organ donation stories submitted through an online app. In this episode, Palma shares her journey as a living liver donor to her cousin Jess. Enjoy!

The views and opinions expressed in this interview do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Toronto General Hospital or the University Health Network. 

To submit your story, please reach out to us at [email protected]

For more information about Living Liver Donation visit https://www.uhn.ca/Transplant/Living_Donor_Program/Pages/living_liver_donor.aspx

Host Candice Coghlan is joined by Natalie Theron, a liver transplant recipient who was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer the day before she gave birth to her daughter. After an incredible journey with cancer trials, chemotherapy, a HAIP pump and hospital stays, Natalie’s husband became her liver donor, effectively curing her liver cancer. Candice and Natalie speak about rollercoasters, motherhood, bravery and cancer muggles. Candice and Natalie are joined by her liver transplant surgeon, Dr. Gonzalo Sapisochin, whose innovative research is opening opportunities for patients to have living liver transplants to live longer lives, and for some people to be cured of their liver cancer.

To read more about Dr. Gonzalo Sapisochin’s research, visit: https://www.uhn.ca/corporate/News/PressReleases/Pages/Living_donation_opens_new_doors_for_colorectal_cancer_patients.aspx#:~:text=%E2%80%8BToronto%20(March%2030%2C%202022,that%20cannot%20be%20surgically%20removed.

To read more about Living Liver Donation, visit: Toronto Living Donor Liver Transplant Brochure.pdf - Google Drive

To read more about the Living Liver Transplant Program at UHN, visit: https://www.uhn.ca/Transplant/Living_Donor_Program/Pages/living_liver_donor.aspx

To read about Natalie’s art installation, visit: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1F01b9_0t7mwa1ERgCPmWGawKhqNdRKZ5/view?usp=sharing

The views and opinions expressed in this interview do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Toronto General Hospital or the University Health Network. 

Host Candice Coghlan is joined by Team Delfina: Betsy Amores, Peter Budziak and their two amazing children, liver transplant recipient Delfina, and big brother Matthew. Peter and Betsy talk about their family’s journey with Delfina, who was diagnosed with biliary atresia, and later needed a living liver transplant to save her life. After a large media campaign and a surgery on her liver, mom Betsy became Delfina’s living liver donor. They speak about the impact it has had on their family, how to they love sports and supporting others going through similar journeys. Candice and Delfina’s family are joined by Delfina’s doctor, Dr. Vicky Ng, a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto, staff physician in the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, and Medical Director of the Pediatric Liver Transplantation Transplant and Regenerative Medicine Centre at SickKids Hospital. They speak about biliary atresia, the transplant process, and how flying pigs, and clowns are just a couple of reasons why Sick Kids is one incredibly special place.

To read more about Team Delfina’s transplant journey visit: https://globalnews.ca/tag/delfina-budziak/

To read more about the Living Liver Transplants at Sick Kids visit: https://www.sickkids.ca/en/care-services/centres/transplant-regenerative-medicine-centre/liver-transplant-program/

To read more about the Living Liver Transplant Program at UHN visit: https://www.uhn.ca/Transplant/Living_Donor_Program/Pages/living_liver_donor.aspx

To read about Dr. Vicky Ng’s research, visit: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=vicky+ng

The views and opinions expressed in this interview do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Toronto General Hospital or the University Health Network. 

Host Candice Coghlan is joined by guest host, Ioanna Roumeliotis, a kidney donor to her brother who lives with Polycystic Kidney Disease. They discuss the process of donating, the ups and downs and how ordinary people can do extraordinary things, like saving a life by donating a kidney or liver. Candice and Ioanna are joined by Dr. Sunita Singh, Medical Director of the Living Kidney Donation Program at UHN. She describes the importance of donor safety, the process of becoming a living donor and how grateful she is to be part of such a remarkable journey.

For more information about living donation, visit www.livingorgandonation.ca.

To view Ioanna's journey on CBC, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIAk9BxJJo8 

To view the Great Actions Leave a Mark Campaign visit www.greatactions.ca 

To learn more about Dr. Singh's work, visit https://bbdc.org/members-research/singh-sunita/ 

The views and opinions expressed in this interview do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Toronto General Hospital or the University Health Network. 

Host Candice Coghlan is joined by guest host, Maria Acero. They discuss Maria’s journey as a caregiver to her husband Luis, who was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis at the age of 15, and at the age of 47, was diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma. In 2019, Luis underwent two liver transplants within nine days, saving his life, but leaving him and his family with a difficult recovery journey, spending over 42 days at Toronto General. Candice and Maria are joined by Dr. Margaret Herridge, who is a professor of Medicine, Critical Care and Pulmonary Medicine at UHN, a senior scientist in the Toronto General Research Institute and Director of Research for the Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine at the University of Toronto. Dr. Herridge was also a caregiver to her husband who received a living liver transplant from a colleague after a snake bite caused his liver to fail. Together they speak about how to cope as a caregiver and family, how to make plans, the emotional impact of these life altering situations and how a good cry can be therapeutic. 

For caregivers looking for information and support, please visit: https://bit.ly/cflodcaregivers

The views and opinions expressed in this interview do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Toronto General Hospital or the University Health Network. 

This is a special episode of Behind the Scenes at the Banff CST Conference.  The conference connects members of the Canadian Society of Transplantation with cutting edge science and leading clinical practices that can be used to advance the practice and science of transplantation in Canada. Host Candice Coghlan is joined by members who presented at the conference.  You will hear from Dr. Marcello Cypel about universal blood types, Ghazaleh Ahmadzadeh about the relationship between African, Caribbean and Black kidney transplant candidates and recipients and their healthcare providers in living donation, Dr. Deepali Kumar about boosters and antibodies preventing COVID in transplantation, Jeff Green and Ryanna Bowling who discuss a modernized pan-Canadian organ donation and transplantation data and performance reporting system, Dr. Caroline Tait discusses presumed consent legislation and why engagement of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit health leaders are key to decision making, Dr. Heather Ross speaks about women in transplant and how to test your limits and Dr. Massimo Mangiola, speaks about the immunology of xenotransplantation. We hope you enjoy this compilation from presenters at Banff CST.

For more information about the Canadian Society of Transplantation, visit https://www.cst-transplant.ca/ 

The views and opinions expressed in this interview do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Toronto General Hospital or the University Health Network. 

Host Candice Coghlan is joined by guest host, Michelle Rambarran. They discuss Michelle’s journey as a new mom, learning she had spontaneous coronary artery dissection and what it was like to have a heart transplant, fearing that she may not see her son’s first birthday. Michelle had twelve amazing years with her heart, but needed a second heart transplant at the height of COVID. They discuss how to appreciate the little joys in life, moon face and how having a good support team can make the journey more manageable. Candice and Michelle are joined by Dr. Michael McDonald, Director of the Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Program, the Peter Munk Cardiac Center and UHN Transplant to discuss prevention, innovations and how some patients plug themselves in to charge at night.

For more information about the Heart Links program, visit: https://www.facebook.com/heartlinksgroup/

The views and opinions expressed in this interview do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Toronto General Hospital or the University Health Network. 

Host Candice Coghlan is joined by guest host, Chris Smith. Chris discusses how he became involved as an organ donation advocate through meeting his partner after she donated a portion of her liver to her father. Candice and Chris are joined by Dr. Markus Selzner, the Surgical Director of the Ajmera Liver Transplant Program at the University of Toronto and Co-Director of the Toronto Abdominal Organ Transplant Fellowship. Chris and Candice speak to him about the incredible process of donating a piece of your liver, advancements in liver innovation, the selflessness of living donors, and if the liver is more like a lizard or a turtle?

For more information about living liver donation, visit: https://bit.ly/uhnliver

For more information about the ACB Organ Health YouTube Channel visit: https://bit.ly/acborganhealth 

For more information about how to register your consent to be a donor, visit https://beadonor.ca/

To watch the Men Who Care Episode, visit https://bit.ly/menwhocare

The views and opinions expressed in this interview do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Toronto General Hospital or the University Health Network.