Become a living donor - KingstonDaily.ca reporter fights for awareness and his life

Grant Deme needs a liver transplant

Grant Deme who covers Kingston City Council for KingstonDaily.ca needs a new liver or his life will be cut short. He's raising awareness for the living donor list in Ontario for himself, and others in the same position. 

Grant is critically ill with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis. He was diagnosed just three years ago and his condition has worsened quicker than he and his team had anticipated.

Grant needs a living liver donor with blood type O+ (positive) or O- (negative), and wants to raise awareness for others facing the same fight for their lives.  

But when it comes to organ donation in general, the registration numbers are staggering when compared to how many of us think it's a good idea.

There is quite a long list for a liver from deceased donors, while that's not the case with a living donor. Once a match is found, Grant gets the call and he's off to Toronto for the transplant, followed by a lengthy recovery. 

Over 1,000 living liver donor transplants have been done at Toronto General Hospital since 1990, and in each case every living donor has returned to health and their normal lives. That can happen for Grant and others like him too, if a donor is found. 

You can learn more about, and share Grant's story here. 

Find out how to start the process of becoming a living donor here.