Susan Cebulak
Living Organ Donor
Brantford, Ont.
"I have three best memories: when I learned we had a match, giving us hope; when I was wheeled in for surgery, excited because my husband was receiving a kidney; and when I knew his surgery had been successful. It was just such joy, knowing his life was about to improve."
Fred had been living for years with kidney disease when his wife Susan learned about the Kidney Paired Donation (KPD) program.
This national program medically assesses people who wish to donate their kidney to a family member or friend. If they are a match, the donation proceeds. If they are not a match, they may be able to donate to another
KPD patient.
After months of testing, Susan was found to be a match for a stranger — and a match was found for Fred.
One year later, both Fred and Susan are doing well. “Fred’s kidney began functioning immediately, he has
his energy and freedom back, and he doesn’t need to do dialysis anymore,” says Susan. “Meanwhile, my remaining kidney and I are perfectly healthy!”
It has since become Susan’s goal to educate others about the transplant experience, so they can make informed decisions about their transplant options.
