For proud grandmother of three Cindy Cridland, Facebook is a place to occasionally share photos of her grandkids or updates on her life 香蕉视频直播� like the time she went to see the Rolling Stones in Vancouver last year. She never expected she would have to use the social media platform to appeal for a kidney donor.
香蕉视频直播淚 am writing today with a humble and heartfelt request, as I am in need of a life-saving gift,香蕉视频直播� writes the 56-year-old resident of East Sooke on Vancouver Island in her post addressed to family, friends and the community.
香蕉视频直播淢y kidneys are failing and my doctors have advised that a kidney transplant is my best medical option. I have been encouraged to reach out to my community to find a willing donor.香蕉视频直播�
Normally a private person, Cridland describes sharing her diagnosis so publicly as one of the most difficult things she has done.
香蕉视频直播淵ou're opening yourself up and telling the world that there's something wrong in my family, there's something wrong with me and you're being vulnerable,香蕉视频直播� she told Sooke News Mirror.
Diagnosed before her 40th birthday with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) 香蕉视频直播� a chronic degenerative kidney disease 香蕉视频直播� Cridland has been receiving treatment for around 16 years to slow down its progression.
But in February this year, Cridland香蕉视频直播檚 doctor told her she has reached the point where a pre-emptive kidney transplant is needed and she needs to begin the search for a living donor.
香蕉视频直播淪he would prefer to see me transplant without doing any dialysis at this point,香蕉视频直播� explains Cridland.
To help find a living donor, Cridland and her family have been encouraged to reach out to as many people as they can through social media, posters in the community and business cards.
香蕉视频直播淓ven T-shirts and decals on vehicles, just to spread the word and get it out there,香蕉视频直播� says Cridland. 香蕉视频直播淎nywhere we can get the word out 香蕉视频直播� you never know who might cross that path.香蕉视频直播�
Cridland is one of 638 patients in B.C. currently waiting for an organ transplant of some kind. For those needing a kidney donor, the average wait time can be as long as three years because there are not enough deceased organ donors, says Dr. Jag Gill, transplant nephrologist and medical director of renal transplant at Vancouver香蕉视频直播檚 St. Paul香蕉视频直播檚 Hospital.
香蕉视频直播淲hich is shorter than every other province in the country, but it's still a long time,香蕉视频直播� he says.
Finding a living donor not only cuts the wait time, it also offers the recipient the best possible outcome after a transplant, says Gill, helping them to possibly avoid dialysis treatment, which does not offer the 香蕉视频直播渂est quality of life.香蕉视频直播�
香蕉视频直播淚f you look at all the available treatments to somebody who's approaching kidney failure, the gold standard treatment is a pre-emptive living donor transplant, that香蕉视频直播檚 going to give you the best chance for success and long-term survival.香蕉视频直播�
In B.C., roughly 100 kidney transplants involving living donors are carried out each year, with about 500 performed across Canada, says Gill, who notes around half of the donors are normally related to the recipient, the other half being friends, acquaintances or community members who have a link to the patient.
All living donation is managed through Vancouver General Hospital and St. Paul香蕉视频直播檚 Hospital pre-assessment transplant clinics, which involve a series of tests to ensure the person is healthy enough to donate.
香蕉视频直播淭here's also a really important and intense psycho-social assessment to make sure that not just medically but psychologically and economically this won't cause harm,香蕉视频直播� Gill said.
香蕉视频直播淚t's about an eight-week recovery period before you're back to 100 per cent after you donate a kidney, so not everyone has the psycho-social supports or the financial means to really sustain that.香蕉视频直播�
If selected as a suitable candidate for donation, Gill says donors can live a healthy life with just one kidney, with some experiencing long-term psychological benefits from their altruistic act.
香蕉视频直播淚t's a gift like no other,香蕉视频直播� said Gill. 香蕉视频直播淜nowing that they've helped sustain someone's life has been shown to have a very positive impact on someone's mental health and well-being 香蕉视频直播� it really gets amplified in this scenario."
For Cridland, the search to find her living donor has been an emotional roller-coaster.
香蕉视频直播淥verwhelming is the right word,香蕉视频直播� she says. 香蕉视频直播淥ne day, your emotions are up and you get really excited about something like somebody potentially wanting to be a donor. And then something else happens, and it takes you down and you're crying.香蕉视频直播�
But while sharing her story has been difficult, the positives have outweighed the negatives for Cridland, with a wave of support sent her way from family 香蕉视频直播� including her 60 first cousins 香蕉视频直播� friends and the Greater Victoria community.
With her story shared in a number of Facebook community groups, people have been reaching out with words of encouragement, support and helpful advice.
Three people are currently in the process of registering as possible living donors for her.
"I've had an overwhelming response," says Cridland. "It's been positive that way for sure."
For more information about living kidney donation, visit the BC Transplant website: .
To inquire about registering as a possible donor for Cridland, call St. Paul香蕉视频直播檚 Hospital living donor program at 604-806-9027 or 1-877-922-9822 or email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca.
Anyone wanting to reach out directly to Cridland can email: cindyskidneyjourney@gmail.com.