Almost a year ago a young Red Deer woman was donating blood and thought she could do more.
“It started a couple of years ago. I was sitting there and thinking is this the only thing I can donate?,” said Nicole Hanson.
She then delved into extensive online research about living organs.
“Kidney was one and I had never thought of that before,” she said Sunday relaxing in her North Red Deer residence.
“Kidney just came up. It had never crossed my brain before.
“I’ve been lucky in never having a family member with kidney disease,” she said.
Following her own research Hanson then contacted the Northern Alberta and Territories branch of the Kidney Foundation of Canada.
Discharged from hospital only a week ago after her operation on April 6 in Edmonton Hanson said kidney foundation officials were astonished that a person would donate a kidney to a total stranger.
“As far as we know there’s been only a few cases in this area,” she said.
This week marks National Organ and Tissue Donation awareness month in Canada.
“If this in some way helps raise awareness of the need for donations then I guess it’s been more worthwhile,” Hanson said.
The vast majority of donations are for relatives or come from deceased donors.
In 2009 of the 4,167 Canadians waiting for a transplant, 71 per cent were waiting for a kidney.
In 2008 almost 40 per cent of the 1,216 kidney transplants were from living donors.
Hanson doesn’t know who received her kidney but was told it was immediately transplanted and is functioning well.
“We’re all born with two kidneys for a reason. People are born every day with one and live successful lives.
“If all I had to do was give up one kidney to give a person an extra 20 or 30 years of life why wouldn’t I?”
“I’m fortunate. I’ve been healthy and had a blessed life. If that’s all I have to do then why not?
“I wasn’t raised in a well to do family. I’ve lived a very humbling lifestyle. Even from an early age I’ve felt that for each child I have I want to adopt one.
“Maybe this is my good karma or my good deed for someone,” she smiled.
Knowing that someone is living because of her has impacted her emotions in the last week to 10 days.
“Sometimes when I’m walking around it gives you a feeling of pride and gives you a lump in your through knowing that I’ve affected someone.
“It’s still all kind of surreal.
Born and raised in Fredericton, N.B., Hanson, 25, has been in Alberta for four years including three in Red Deer.
Hanson, who works for Southside Dodge Chrysler Jeep and RV Centre, said she received much support and encouragement from her employer.
“I guess I kind of opened their eyes about this issue. It’s a really easy going place to work and I love it there,” she said.
The testing both physical and mental to ensure she was healthy and was about to go through the process for the right reasons was extensive, she said.
Beyond the life saving feature kidney and organ donation results in a huge cost saving.
Linda Lumsden, co-ordinator of fund development for the Kidney Foundation of Canada Red Deer and District said kidney transplant costs $20,000 plus $6,000 yearly for follow up tests while dialysis costs $50,000 per year.
During a five-year period a transplant costs $50,000 and dialysis $250,000.
A person who chooses to be a deceased donor can save or improve the lives of up to 80 people, Lumsden said.
jwilson@www.reddeeradvocate.com