She says it was “the easiest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” and now, seven years after donating her kidney, Sheila Fraser is challenging others in Langley to step up and do the same.
By the end of 2016, Fraser hopes 25,000 residents will join the organ donor registry — whether as living donors or deceased — to help save the lives of hundreds of patients needing new kidneys, lungs, hearts and other vital organs.
According to BC Transplant, there are more than 500 British Columbians currently on the wait list for an organ transplant, and that need far outweighs the number of organs available.
For kidneys alone, there are 448 people in B.C. on the wait list, including 12 people in Langley.
And with an average five-year wait period for a transplant, some may pass away before they can get the surgery they need.
“That really hit home for me,” Fraser said.
Her transplant journey began nearly 20 years ago when a serious car accident almost claimed her life.
Had it not been for “the kindness of strangers,” Fraser believes she may not have survived.
And although recovered now, a comment her mother made while she lay in a hospital bed made a permanent impact: “God kept you alive for a reason, pay if forward.”
Fraser had the opportunity to do so a few years later.
While working at the former Mikasa store in Langley, she learned that her co-worker’s husband desperately needed a kidney transplant, but could not find a match.
Although she did not know Cheryl Almeida’s husband, Joe, Fraser decided to take a blood test to see if they were compatible.
She was shocked with the results.
“We were a perfect match,” she said.
“I found out on Christmas Eve and I called them and said, ‘Merry Christmas, we are a perfect match.’”
In May, 2009 they had the surgery. Their kidneys matched so well, even today Joe’s anti-rejection drugs — which all transplant recipients must take — are the lowest dose available.
“It was all meant to be,” Fraser said.
“It was the best thing I could have ever done.”
Not only was the surgery relatively painless — Fraser spent only two days in hospital and was back at work in just two weeks — she has also gained a new extended family in Cheryl, Joe, their daughter, and even Joe’s family members in Portugal, who sent prayer cards to Fraser throughout the process.
Today, Fraser is continuing to “pay it forward” by raising awareness and funding for organ transplants in B.C.
With March officially marked kidney health awareness month, Fraser and her husband, Murray, are hosting a fundraiser and awareness night at The Fort Pub this Saturday (March 19).
Although the $25 burger and beer tickets are sold out, there is room to join for the entertainment and additional fundraising activities, including a toonie toss and silent auction. Live music will be performed by award winning musician Trevor McDonald.
The pub night is the first fundraiser leading up to a kidney walk being planned in Langley for the fall. And beyond adding 25,000 more Langley residents to the donor registry — there are currently 23,651 Langley residents who have registered their decision — the Frasers are also hoping to raise $25,000.
“It’s to get awareness out there for people to sign up to become an organ donor,” Fraser said.
“Imagine if you died in a tragic car accident, but your eyes and heart can live on in someone else.”
To find out more on organ registration, visit http://www.transplant.bc.ca.
By the Numbers
■ 1 in 10 Canadians have kidney disease
■ More than 500 people in B.C. are on the wait list for an organ transplant
■ 20 per cent of British Columbians have registered their donor decision
■ 23,651 people in Langley have registered their donor decision