Sackville woman donates kidney to give father 2nd chance at life
Lindsay Murray isn't usually sitting on her couch knitting at 10 a.m. on a weekday.
The mother of four normally keeps busy with a part-time job, long-distance running and the other tasks that come with running a household with her husband Jeffrey.
The Sackville woman is at home trying to rest because Murray is a living organ donor. On Jan. 8, after mulitple medical and psychological tests, she underwent a two-hour surgery to give her father, Jon White, one of her kidneys.
"I'm definitely feeling good, I'm definitely getting stronger by the day," she said.
About four years ago, the family learned that White's kidneys were declining. He went on dialysis, but was hoping for a new kidney to extend his life expectancy.
Murray volunteered one of her kidneys immediately. Her husband says she volunteered his as well. But luckily, Murray was a match — and the transplant was an instant success.
"It was all you hope for," she said. "It was all of that hard work, all of the testing, all of the time, all of the discomfort from surgery, it was all worth it."
Her father couldn't be prouder.
"It's an enormously moving experience to have your daughter do this with such cheerfulness and support," said White.
White was released from the hospital on Tuesday, but remains in Halifax where the surgery was done to continue testing and monitoring.
"You don't often get a second chance at 66 years old and I have, so I take it very seriously," he said.
White said he made a promise to himself that each day he will use his restored health to be a benefit to the people in his life.
Dancing with his wife
Because of his reliance on dialysis and his declining health, White is looking forward to doing things like going for walks, and working on the home he shares with his wife Marion.
But there's one thing he wants to do more than anything else: "Dance with my wife."
White says he is experiencing some discomfort, but hopes to be back at his home in Sackville in a few weeks. Murray is doing her best to take it easy until she gets the go-ahead from her doctor to return to work.
'Courageous and moving'
Murray said the most difficult part of the experience was the pain that followed the surgery. But now that she's on the mend, she said she's been overwhelmed by the support she received from her friends and family.
"That was without a doubt the best part of all of this … feeling so loved and so supported and so valued."
Jeffery Murray said he had some concerns about the surgery, but supported the living donation, calling it "courageous and moving."
"I know that Lindsay couldn't live with herself if she didn't make the offer and go through the process."
According to the Kidney Foundation of Canada, 22 people in New Brunswick received a kidney transplant in 2018, but another 76 people are on the wait list.
White said he wants to remind people to sign their organ donor cards.
"This is a gift of life," he said. "Never mind the old 66-year-old guys like me, there are children … who are going to die because they can't get a kidney."
People who want to donate their organs after death can sign their donor cards when they apply for or renew their medicare cards.
Anyone considering becoming a living donor can contact their doctor, or look for information on the Kidney Foundation of Canada's website.
