John Bourgeois, a 54-year-old man, has been waiting desperately for two and a half years for a solution to his deteriorating health. After battling prostate cancer, his health worsened in 2021 and he was hospitalized multiple times to determine the cause of his declining health. It was during this time that Bourgeois discovered his kidneys were failing due to issues with his liver, necessitating a liver transplant for survival. To make matters more complicated, Bourgeois found out that he did not qualify for priority status based on testing, leaving him in a dire situation.
Feeling overwhelmed by the news, Bourgeois came up with a unique idea to draw attention to his need for a liver transplant. He rented billboard space on Bath Road to display a plea for help, hoping to find a suitable donor, particularly someone with Type O blood. Bourgeois acknowledged that without a liver transplant, his prognosis was bleak, highlighting the urgency of his situation and the importance of finding a donor as soon as possible. His wife, Angela Pottier, expressed their family’s struggle during his health challenges and the additional hardship of not being able to be by his side in the hospital due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Statistics from the Canadian Institute for Health Information indicate that there were over 2,900 organ transplants performed in 2022, with only 20 percent of those coming from live donors. By the end of December 2022, nearly 4,000 people were on the waiting list for a transplant, emphasizing the scarcity of organ donors and the critical need for more people to consider donation. Bourgeois has missed significant milestones and events in his life due to his health condition, spending many days and nights in the hospital and struggling with exhaustion that limits his daily activities.
Seeking a life-saving gift, Bourgeois and his family are urging individuals with Type O blood who are interested in becoming donors to reach out to them via email at [email protected]. The hope is to find a suitable donor who can provide Bourgeois with a new lease on life through a liver transplant. Bourgeois emphasized the importance of organ donation in saving lives and how receiving a transplant would be a life-saving gift that would profoundly impact his future and well-being. The family’s outreach efforts aim to raise awareness about the urgent need for organ donation and the impact it can have on individuals like Bourgeois.
In conclusion, Bourgeois’s journey highlights the struggles faced by individuals waiting for organ transplants and the critical need for more organ donors to help save lives. With his health deteriorating, Bourgeois is in urgent need of a liver transplant to survive, and his family’s plea for help underscores the importance of organ donation in providing hope and second chances to those in need. By raising awareness about the scarcity of organ donors and encouraging people to consider donation, Bourgeois and his family hope to find a suitable match that can transform his life and offer him a chance at a healthier future. The generosity of donors can make a significant impact in the lives of those awaiting transplants, providing them with much-needed support and hope for a better tomorrow.
