After three years of exhausting dialysis appointments and campaigns to find a new kidney, Shawnigan Lake’s Audrey Schroeder finally has a donor and a transplant surgery date.
“Sometimes I’ll burst out crying, I’m so happy — I can’t believe this is actually happening,” said Schroeder, 41.
The single mother of three daughters has found donor matches twice before, only to have transplant plans fall through. The first time, the donor, who is a friend, unexpectedly got pregnant. The second time, a medical risk for the donor, who was a stranger, was discovered during the screening process. But this time, everything is on track.
“I actually don’t know what it feels like to be healthy. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to do the regular things in life without having to rest,” said Schroeder, who was diagnosed with kidney disease and Crohn’s disease at the age of 13.
For the past three years, she’s had to undergo dialysis treatments three times a week for four hours each session. She’s been unable to work as a care attendant since her health declined.
“I keep telling my [youngest] daughter we’re going to have a new life. I’m going to be a better mother,” said Schroeder, who will have transplant surgery in Vancouver on May 4. She’s already counting down the number of dialysis sessions left: 22.
Her donor, Tanya Hashimoto, lives in Duncan and found out about Schroeder’s situation through a Facebook post from a mutual friend about nine months ago.
“She’s actually like an angel. I can’t believe she’d want to do this for me,” said Schroeder.
Hashimoto said she was moved by Schroeder’s story. “We had so many similarities. We’re the same age, we both have girls, we know what it’s like to be a single parent,” said Hashimoto, 40, who has four daughters and now has a partner. “I thought if it was me, I’d hope somebody would step up and help out.”
After months of testing, Hashimoto was approved to be a donor. She and Schroeder met for the first time by accident while getting tests at the hospital in Duncan.
“She’s such a sweet person. I don’t know her that well, but from all the messages I’ve received from people I know, she is deserving. I can’t wait to help give her her life back,” said Hashimoto. She will take at least a seven-week leave from her job at the B.C. Justice Ministry for surgery and recovery.
“I want to show my kids and other people this program is out there and you don’t have to be rich to donate,” she said.
Last year, more than half the 205 kidney transplants in B.C. were done with living donors. Nearly 500 people are currently on the transplant waitlist. While almost everyone is born with two functioning kidneys, a healthy person can live well with one.
Both women will travel to Vancouver for the transplant.
Hashimoto will be in hospital for three or four days and must stay in the city for another three or four days. The Kidney Foundation of Canada covers part of her costs.
Schroeder will have to stay in Vancouver for at least a month after the surgery while she recovers. She was recently approved for subsidized family accommodations through the Kidney Foundation.
Both women have started GoFundMe campaigns for friends and family to donate to help them with extra costs.
