Langley’s Todd Hauptman and Tanya Tait were honoured at the recent Fraser Valley Kidney Walk at Bear Creek Park in Surrey.
Hauptman received a kidney from Tait in March 2010.
At the time, his kidneys had all but shut down, he was in hospital in a drug-induced coma with toxins filling his body.
Since getting his new kidney from Tait, Hauptman is a new man with a new lease on a healthy life. Working on his political science degree and working for Langley MLA Mary Polak, while working on several human service projects, Hauptman is a busy young man.
The pair spoke at the walk, which raised more than its goal of $12,000.
“Events like yesterday bring back the enormity of her gift to me,” said Hauptman.
He is now working with the Kidney Foundation to spread awareness about the importance of becoming an organ donor.
He waited for three years to get a donation. It was Tait who offered her kidney.
She had watched Hauptman grow up, as he started volunteering with the Langley federal Conservative campaigns since the age of 14.
While Hauptman felt the immediate improvement of getting a working kidney, the recovery was difficult at first for Tait.
Doctors told her it would take about a year to completely recover and it did.
“It was so good to see Tanya. She is back to normal, working like crazy,” he said.
At the walk, Hauptman managed to sign up 50 new organ donors.
“There are around 3,700 people in B.C. waiting for an organ. I think I most recent study said only 18 per cent of B.C. people are registered as organ donors.”
To learn more about organ donation go to transplantbc.ca.