I know it's been forever since I posted...but this video has to been seen! Probably one of the best commercials I've ever seen!! 

Also....I promise to do an update on here in the next few weeks as there's a whole new chapter to Channy's Liver!

Fighting Fire With Fire - HIV Vs Cancer Cells

This gave me goose bumps! Does this hold promise? Time will tell. I've lost family members to cancer, and one to AIDS related cancer. Could a disease as horrible as HIV do good? 

MIND BLOWN!

Who would dare to pit one fatal disease against another... inside the body of an six-year-old patient? The results will shatter all expectations.

Recycled Kidney Dish

Ok, so way back in 2009....I somehow, accidentally, may have stolen a kidney shaped dish from Toronto General Hospital. In fact, it may have looked a lot like the one pictured here. 

It's hard to say how this pan made its way into my luggage, but it did....along with a few hospital robes too! In any case, it has never been used by me as a puke pan...and I now consider it a souvenir from my liver donation. For the most part, this dish has sat out on a shelf in the sunroom, being used as a catch-all for loose change, dust bunnies, loose nails, screws and whatever. Back in November of 2012, my mom took the pan to a florist here in town and had them work some magic on it! The following result was an anniversary/birthday gift! Pretty cool huh?

Multiple Living Organ Donation - Kidney Anniversary

Hello blog! Nice to see you again!

Today marks the one year anniversary of my kidney donation. Even though it does feel like a year has passed, I don't really feel all that different on the inside and am happy to report my remaining kidney is doing the job of two, pumpin' out the pee!

For me, this day is just another day...business as usual. I hope whoever has my kidney is doing wonderful! I never heard anything about my recipient following my discharge from Toronto general, so I don't know if my kidney is still working, or if it was rejected. Maybe it's better I don't know. If it is still working, my only other hope is that at some point today, my recipient runs a finger along the scar marking his or her belly, and gives a silent thank-you. Actually, I like to believe he or she does that every day.

In other news, I'm still trying to migrate all my notes and pictures from the donation process from my old shitty PC, to my sleek, reliable new iMac and apple products! Once this is done, the plan is to do massive update on this page. That's the plan anyway. That's it for now though, remember to sign a donor card!! Links to do so are on the right.

Multiple Living Organ Donation - Kidney 7 Months

Yipes! Once again, this update is long overdue! May 19th marked my 6 month anniversary for donating my kidney at Toronto General. I feel great! My incision has healed up very nicely, I have no pain or discomfort at all, and I have no adverse effects or feelings since the ordeal began! In fact....I feel great!

Shortly after I was discharged, the hospital sent me an aftercare package that outlined when I needed to have follow-up testing done. This package included forms and requisition papers for a six month follow-up. The tests to be done? A 24 hour urine collection followed by a blood test. The instructions were pretty simple.

1) Obtain a clean plastic jug from your Coordinator or local lab.

2)At the start of the test day, void (pass your urine) and discard it.Write down the exact date and time of that first void. This is the start of the test even though you have discarded the urine.

3) For the next 24 hours, each time you void, put the urine in the jug. Save all your urine for the next 24 hours.

4)The following morning at the same time as your first void, empty your bladder and save that urine in the jug as well. This is the end of the test. Write down the exact time and date of your last void.

5) While collecting the urine, keep the jug away from any source of heat.

6) Return the jug to the lab once your 24 hours is complete. At that time, they will take a blood sample.

Now, I'm no stranger to the 24 hour urine collection procedure, it's just hard to be discrete. I mean, the container they give you for the actual collection isn't exactly a fashion accessory. In fact....it looks like a gas can!

Behold...the 24 hour urine collection vessel!

Of course, that wouldn't even be an issue if I had started the collection say...on a Sunday morning, in the comfort and privacy of my own home like any normal, sane person would have done! But no...I decided to do it midweek.....while at work.

Now, even that wouldn't be so bad if I worked in an office, or in a place where I could just leave the container and fill it when I needed to pee, but the fact is I'm on the road all day...in and out of places every few minutes...surrounded by people, but that's what I did. Any time I had to pee, I grabbed my bright, neon-orange piss jug, tucked it into a plastic Wegman's grocery bag, and ventured through the particular store I was in to the bathroom where I would collect my precious urine! Ummm...don't think for a minute that this didn't raise a few eyebrows...although I did tell a co-worker it was my kool-aid jug! This went on all day till the following day when I dropped off the jug and did my blood test.

The purpose of this test is to see how well my remaining kidney filters waste products. The amount of waste product, (creatinine) in the urine is compared to the amount in the blood. The lab will test my pee and my blood and send the results off to Toronto General. If there was a problem, or any unusual readings, they'll get in touch with me.

The entire process is fairly harmless, but as a public service I offer this advise....be careful with the piss jug. Even though it does have a lid on it, it doesn't 'seal' very well...no matter how tight you think the lid is on it. While in transit, place the jug on a level, secure surface, not on the front seat of your new Toyota Matrix. Lastly, and I can't stress this enough, do not at any time shake the piss jug for any reason! Just trust me on that.

Behold....my 24 hour pee jug, with 'void'!

Canadian National Blood Donor Week

Canadian Blood Services celebrates National Blood Donor Week June 13 – 19, 2011. National Blood Donor Week provides an opportunity to celebrate and thank the generous donors from coast to coast who support the blood system in Canada and help ensure the health of their fellow citizens. The week also builds awareness of the importance of blood, plasma, platelet and stem cell donations, and encourages more Canadians to give blood—especially during the challenging summer months.

This year’s theme for National Blood Donor Week is “Rally Together to Save Lives”. Every minute of every day, someone in Canada needs blood. That’s why Canadian Blood Services is rallying communities across the country to come together and show that collectively, blood donations can make a positive impact on someone’s life. To meet Canada’s future blood needs, we need to inspire more Canadians to join the movement.

We need communities to rally together because it takes many units of blood to save a patient. One blood donation equals one unit of blood. For instance, it can take:

50 units of blood to help someone in a car accident
2 units to help someone who needs brain surgery
5 units to help someone in cancer treatment
8 units a week to help someone with leukemia
5 units to save someone who needs cardiovascular surgery
2 to 8 units to help someone with internal bleeding
2 units a day to help someone undergoing a bone marrow transplant
4 units a month to help someone with Aplastic Anemia
2 units for a hip replacement

Other compelling numbers include...

43% of first time donors go with someone else to donate
Approximately 1 in 2 Canadians are eligible to give blood. Last year 1 in 60 actually did.
52 per cent of Canadians say they or a family member have needed blood or blood products for surgery or for medical treatment. (Ipsos-Reid)
Every minute of every day, someone in Canada needs blood
A healthy person can donate blood every 56 days
Canadian Blood Services is in your community – there are over 20 000 clinics nationwide
The donation process takes 1 hour – actual collection only takes approx 10-15 minutes

To book an appointment to give blood, call 1-888-2-donate (1-888-236-6283)

Visit online at www.blood.ca or visit www.bloodsignal.ca

If giving blood isn't your thing...why not sign up to be a organ donor! Or do both!!

Bree - The Sweetest Soul

The world is losing one of it's sweetest souls, Brianne (Bree) Cordick. Although I never met, or talked to her, I followed her journey through her blog "The Blog Blog." Bree received a lung transplant in August 2009 after suffering from a condition called Bronchiectasis. The transplant worked and Bree continued to be the coolest, kick-ass chick I have never met! Sadly, her other condition, ADA SCID, continued to fight her. In late February, she was admitted to hospital for what she called a 'broken head.' Daily checks to her blog revealed no updates, but through other bloggers I learned her health was failing rapidly as her doctors fought this new mystery virus.

Bree's condition worsened daily until late last week, when she was taken off life support. The world is turning so much slower today. Rest easy Bree, you will be missed, and thank you for letting me know you.

Bree passed away on May 25/2011

Multiple Organ Donation - Kidney Donation Slide Show

Finally! I have uploaded all my kidney donation photos that I could find into a slide show on the blog. You'll find it just to the right. I hate to keep dangling the promise of updates to the blog, but there are more coming, including an epic post on the entire ordeal. When you ask? Soon! My apologies for the delays.

National Organ & Tissue Donation Awareness Week

This coming week, April 17th to the 23rd, is "National Organ & Tissue Donation Awareness Week" in Ontario. As such, there are many events planned across the province. To find an event near you, click here.

The numbers are shocking - there are nearly 1,500 Ontarians waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. Every three days, one of those on the waiting list dies simply because there aren't enough registered organ and tissue donors.

But with your help, we can change this. During National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week in April, our goal is to register 1,500 Ontarians who wish to become organ and tissue donors - all the way from Timmins in the north to Windsor in the south.

With this year's event, Life for 1500, we want to connect with your community in a personal way, introducing transplant recipients in a more intimate setting, reminiscent of a family room with an array of family photos displayed.

Life for 1500 shows that those on the wait list are more than just numbers - they're also someones family member or friend.

For those of you in Ontario, the consent form can be downloaded here!

For other Canadian provinces, click here

In Great Britain, click here

In the United States, click here

To Remember Me - I Will Live Forever

by Robert Noel Test, American Poet (1926-1994)

The day will come when my body will lie upon a white sheet neatly tucked under four corners of a mattress located in a hospital; busily occupied with the living and the dying. At a certain moment a doctor will determine that my brain has ceased to function and that, for all intents and purposes, my life has stopped.

When that happens, do not attempt to instill artificial life into my body by the use of a machine. And don’t call this my deathbed. Let it be called the bed of life, and let my body be taken from it to help others lead fuller lives.

• Give my sight to the man who has never seen a sunrise, a baby’s face or love in the eyes of a woman.
  
  
• Give my heart to a person whose own heart has caused nothing but endless days of pain.
  
  
• Give my blood to the teenager who was pulled from the wreckage of his car, so that he might live to see his grandchildren play.
  
  
• Give my kidneys to the one who depends on a machine to exist from week to week.
  
  
• Take my bones, every muscle, every fiber and nerve in my body and find a way to make a crippled child walk. Explore every corner of my brain.
  
  
• Take my cells, if necessary, and let them grow so that, someday a speechless boy will shout at the crack of a bat and a deaf girl will hear the sound of rain against her window.
  
  
• Burn what is left of me and scatter the ashes to the winds to help the flowers grow.
  
  
• If you must bury something, let it be my faults, my weakness and all prejudice against my fellow man.
  
  
• Give my sins to the devil.
  
  
• Give my soul to God.
  
  

If, by chance, you wish to remember me, do it with a kind deed or word to someone who needs you. If you do all I have asked, I will live forever.

(from www.organdonorawareness.org/)

Bloggers With CF

I am a bad blogger, but a great procrastinator! Actually, I wanted to post this entry earlier in the week, but had a few uncontrollable setbacks. Mostly a fried modem and a dental appointment from hell. My apologies for the lack of updates here.

My introduction to CF came in the form of a fiery red head named Eva Markvoort. Actually, at the time I think she was brunette, but that could just be my color blindness. In any case, I stumbled across her blog in 2008, read & followed her entries, and from time to time, she would post videos. Never had I witnessed such courage, such finesse and such dignity in the face of something as ugly as CF. Reading about someones illness was bad enough, but the helplessness I felt one night that came from watching the videos was horrible. She posted a video of herself during a coughing fit. I wept, it was frightening to watch and has, to this day, stuck in my mind.

A few years ago, I caught a cold, or at least what I thought was a cold. The suffering lasted a few days but the symptoms weren't like any cold I had ever had in the past. In fact, it was just coughing fits! Major coughing fits! This went on for about a week before I decided to seek medical help. Well....my cold turned out to be post nasal drip. If you've ever experienced it, it's brutal! I would have these violent coughing fits that would leave me gasping for air. During the night, I'd cough so much, and so heavy I would almost gag and throw up...desperate for air. I don't pretend to think that my bout with the post nasal drip is anything even remotely close to what someone with CF goes through, but I understand the fear of not being able to breath, and the pain caused by the retching.

Needless to say, many of the blogs I follow and read are of people with CF. Some have had lung transplants, while others are on the waiting list....some are managing OK, while others are struggling. What amazes me most is the very tight-knit community CF'ers have formed across the globe. These are regular people full of hopes and dreams that for the most part, blend in with the rest of us and try to lead as normal a life as they can. The funny thing is, I find those living with CF have a much deeper appreciation for each day they are given....regardless of how shitty they're feeling that day. I've listed a few links to some of the CF blogs I follow to the right of the page. I urge you to visit these blogs, read their hopes, dreams and struggles and maybe leave a comment or two, or an email cheering them on! Oh...and one final request, sign your donor card please!!

CF - A message From Eva

Updates on my kidney donation are coming...I promise. Just need to organize thoughts and events before I do. In the meantime, watch the following. When you're done, sign your donor card!

February 11/2011, was a special day. 1200 people gathered to listen to some great music, to view some beautiful films and to honour Eva. The 65redroses benefit concert for CF, was a great legacy project. It brought out the best in so many people. $37 000 was raised for CF research! Eva's friends, under the direction of Stuart Gillies, produced a beautiful short film 'A Wish Where the Wind Once Blew' that honoured all those who have died from CF. Eva's boyfriend Justin also edited a short video with a message of CF, that brought home the reason why we were all there. Here is his video.

A Message from Eva from Justin Cousineau on Vimeo.

Multiple Living Organ Donation - Kidneys In 3-D!!

Earlier in the year, I was able to have all my ultrasounds, MRI's and x-ray imaging scans put onto a DVD by the folks at Toronto General Hospital. (By folks, I mean 'Alba' from the imaging department!) The DVD isn't really playable, it's a data DVD, which contains a 'viewing' program on the DVD that allows the images and scans to be viewed. I'll be posting some of the scans and images over the next few days. Thank you science!!

The following video shows my kidneys in 3-D!!

Multiple Living Organ Donation - 1 Week Post Surgery

Yesterday, November 27 th, marked the one week anniversary of my kidney donation. Once I got up this morning, I decided not take any pain medication right away. First off, I felt I didn't need any, secondly, I decided I should venture out to have the staples removed. Now, the discharge nurse at Toronto General told me they could come out in 7 to 10 days and that this could be done at my doctors office, a walk in clinic or I could do it myself. They even gave me a little tool to do the job. Now, I would have taken them out myself, but I couldn't reach or see the staples so good on my own. Needless to say, I opted for the hospital here in town to take them out. Since I was medication free, I drove the 3 blocks to the emergency department and had the nurse take them out for me!! Not that bad a procedure really, but there was some pinching, some tugging and a general feeling of 'Holy shit!!~ That hurt!' 13 staples, took less than 20 minutes from registering at the front desk, to a quick once over by the doctor on call to the actual removal of the staples. As I write this, the surgery site is itchy...very itchy!



So, eight days post donation, my incision looks good! It's clean, no real redness or swelling and now that the staples are gone, that pulling sensation is gone. How do I feel?? My pain level is maybe a 5, my stomach is still numb, I still have bruising around my left wrist where the IV was and there is bruising above and below my scar. Yup, it hurts! Not so much that I'm prevented from doing anything, but it does hurt! Getting up from a reclined or sitting position is hard, it's hard to get into, and out of bed. ~sigh~ Every day is a little better. One thing for sure, it's good to be home!!!

( Got an email from Sherry, Administrative Assistant at the Living Donor Kidney Program, yesterday as well. It tells of a package being sent to me with all my post operative appointment requisitions. Vague? Yaa, I know)

You did what????

On Friday, November 19th 2010 at around 6:00am, I checked into Toronto General Hospital to donate a kidney, my left to be exact! Over the next few days, I'll be collecting my thoughts and organizing my memories and experiences so I may share them with all who visit these pages.

Obviously, I survived the procedure. My recipient, whom I don't know, nor have I ever met, is also doing fine. It's been a wild journey, lots of ups, lots of downs. As a multiple living organ donor, the medical tests I've endured have been many. Do I have regrets? Nope. I set out to donate a kidney and part of my liver...and I have! How am I doing right now? I'm sore....very sore, and I'm tired. Keep checking back as updates will be frequent.

Also, I have enabled the ''comments'' option. (comments will be moderated) Feel free to leave a comment if you like, or you may email me via the link on my 'About Me' page. I have many changes planned for this blog so check back for updates.

Channy

1 Year MRI & Blood Tests

As usual, the frequent updates I promised to post haven't been so frequent! In all honesty, I'm just not good at talking about myself nor do I have any real earth-shattering donor related news to share. That said, I do have events in the works that I will post here as details become more concrete.

My one year anniversary has come and gone and I am doing great! I went for some blood tests at my local Life-Lab, and had the MRI on September 19th at Toronto General. The MRI was scheduled for Sunday at 4:00 pm. Ok, so I couldn't eat anything or drink anything 5 hours before the MRI, needless to say I was thirsty as all hell and hungry by the time I got there. The worst was driving into the afternoon sun to get to TGH. All these things combined, festered a migraine...which I had no medicine for. More on that later though.

The odd thing about my MRI appointment is that the imaging department at TGH is closed on Sundays, so I had to proceed to a waiting room down the hall and sign a sheet there. It wasn't busy, there were only 3 people waiting in the room and only 1 of them had the 'I'm getting an MRI gown' on. When the tech came to fetch this person, she handed me some gowns and told me to go change. Now, if you've read any of my other posts, you know I'm a huge fan of the gowns. Best thing ever? There was one gown, and some wicked cool draw-string pants! I didn't even know they had matching pants to the gowns! Needless to say, I was in heaven! I may, or may not have stolen those pants by the way...I just wore them.

When the tech came for me, I put all my other clothes in a locker and headed for the scan. It was a two part scan, the first series of scans they would do would require me to hold my breath and not move while the machine took the pictures. The second part of the scan was a normal scan.. Once I was all strapped into the machine and the headphone were on me is when my migraine started throbbing. I was trapped though..I couldn't move and there was no way I was going to bail on the test now! Grin and bear it I thought...the test took forever and that sound shook me to the core. When the test was over, I changed back into street clothes and may have forgotten to leave the hospital pants there and headed home...my saving grace was I did have one Relpax in the car, but by the time I took it, I was already doomed. I actually ended up taking the Monday off work because of the migraine.

The sole purpose of the MRI was to obtain a baseline for the 1 year mark. The blood tests were pretty much the same ones I've had at every testing interval post surgery. Here's the breakdown!

CBC - The complete blood count test determines general health status and screens for, and monitors, a variety of disorders like anemia.

Glucose - Measures glucose in the blood to determine healthy ranges.

Creatine - This test measures kidney function so they look for abnormal creatine levels.

Sodium & Potassium - Blood sodium/potassium testing is used to detect electrolyte imbalances and in my case, to check for any disease or condition involving the liver or kidneys that may be caused by deficiency or excess of potassium/sodium.

Chloride - Never ordered by itself, this test is part of the above potassium/sodium test.

AST & ALT- Is a simple blood test to determine the presence of certain enzymes in the blood. If the liver is damaged or injured for any reason, AST and/or ALT enzymes will spill into the blood stream. AST is short for 'aspartate aminotransferase' and ALT is short for 'alainine aminotransferase'...both are enzymes within the liver.

ALP & Bilirubin - These are liver function tests that show how well a persons liver is working. These tests will detect high levels or low levels of liver enzymes that could prove the presence of disease.

Urea - Measures the amount of urea nitrogen, a waste product of protein metabolism, in the blood. Once again, for the detection of liver failure.

PT, PTT & INR - These are a group of tests to measure how quickly your blood clots. PT measures the ability to clot, PTT determins if there is a blood clotting disorder and INR is a kind of comparison test to make sure results from one lab is the same as another.

So there you have it! All these tests have come back with excellent results, I'm healed up and doing fantastic! Long term effects so far? I have the scar and some numbness around the scar but as far as function goes...I'm doing awesome! From here on in I only have to have tests done once a year. This isn't the end of my journey though...just the end of THIS journey. Check back as the second part of my journey continues.

Reasons To Donate

I had originally planned to post some more updates on me and explain some of the blood tests I've had done over the past few months. But instead, I'm posting this video. I follow quite a few 'health related' blogs. Victoria is one such blogger who has CF. Today she posted this video and it made me weep, so I'm sharing it here on my blog. Sign your donor card!

Meet Victoria

Update Time

Well hello there and welcome back! Yes, it certainly has been a while hasn't it!? Nope, I haven't forgotten about this blog and the promises of 'frequent updates' I made months ago....actually, I have no excuses. I have lots to update about so sit back, grab a coffee, or any other refreshing beverage, and enjoy! I also promise consistent updates on this blog from this day forward. You'll actually want to follow along as there are interesting events in the works that you, the viewing public, will want to read about! Yup, every day this week there will be an update! No...really!!

So today marks the one year anniversary of my donation. Today, I feel good! My scar has healed up nicely, I'm back to doing everything I did before the operation and both my 6 and 9 month clinic visits and blood work results were perfect! I know! I'm the picture of health! To be honest, I still have numbness around the incision site and some tingling sensations that drive me nuts, but other than that, all is good!

A few weeks ago, I received a letter from Bryan Whitehead (Administrative Assistant for the living Donor liver program & all around nice fella!) with my next appointment schedule! The letter reads as follows...


Dear Awesome Chanman,
(OK, I made that up, he doesn't call me Chanman)

As part of your post surgical follow-up, we have scheduled appointments for you as you recover from your operation. As discussed in your pre-operative teaching, our program will review your status at the following time intervals: 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 1 year and then annually for a 10 year period.

Yearly Post Follow Up Blood Work and Medical Imaging

You are due for your annual blood work in September. It is requested that you take this requisition to your local lab and have the results faxed directly to us at 416-340-3097.

An MRI will be scheduled for you to obtain a baseline at your one year mark. The MRI department will contact you directly with an appointment date and time.

Please do not hesitate to contact our office should you have any questions or concerns. Oh, and thanks for being so awesome!(OK, I made that last line up too)

With kind regards,
Bryan Whitehead
Administrative Assistant
Living Donor Liver Program
416-340-4800 Ext 6581

Like I said earlier, the MRI is already booked. I just have to remember not to eat or drink anything 4 hours prior to the exam and I can't wear any perfume...not a problem. That said, I may have trouble NOT eating as I have become a fat fucker the past few months. (proof of this will be posted later)
My blood tests consist of CBC, Glucose, Creatine, Sodium, Potassium, Chloride, AST, ALT, ALP, Bilirubin, Urea, PT, PTT, INR. What are all these tests and what do they stand for? Well friends, you'll just have to come back tomorrow 'cause that's part of the next update!

Eva

On Saturday March 27th, 2010 at around 9:30 in the morning, Eva Markvoort of http://65redroses.livejournal.com/ passed away.

Please, please sign your organ donor card.

The documentary ""65_RedRoses"" can be seen April 2nd on CBC The Passionate Eye at 7:00 am and at 8:00 pm ET.

You can also watch the documentary here as well.

Article

Liver recipient competes in Vancouver Olympics


By Allan Dowd (Reuters)

American snowboarder Chris Klug is more than just happy to be in the Olympics, he is happy to be healthy and alive and is using the Vancouver Games to get out the message on organ donors and recipients.

The 37-year-old Aspen, Colorado resident, who was suffering a rare degenerative condition, received a liver transplant in 2000 and now hopes that adding to his Olympic medal collection will prove a point.

"It is important that other people going through the process that I did almost 10 years ago see what is possible after a transplant," Klug told reporters on Tuesday as he waits to compete in the men's parallel giant slalom on Feb. 27.

"I'm healthier and stronger than I was before my transplant, and people ought to know that."

Klug, who won bronze in the 2002 Salt Lake City Games and became the first athlete to win an Olympic medal after having a major organ transplant, is working with health officials in Vancouver to publicize the need for organ donors.

He competed in the 1998 Nagano Games, when snowboarding made its Olympic debut, and acknowledges Vancouver will probably be his last Olympics.

Klug's previous Olympic experiences, both good and bad, have taught him some valuable lessons for how to enjoy his time in Vancouver. He looked relaxed as he chatted to reporters.

"One of my mantras and goals this time is just enjoy the ride. Take it all in."

via

5 Month Update

Am I the worst blogger ever? Well yes, I think I just might be! My updates have become few and far between. Normally, I would blame this on the fact that nothing exciting has happened to warrant an update..but this time I can blame it on plain ol' laziness!

So everything seems to be progressing as well as it can be. My sleep pattern has returned to normal, my stomach isn't as growl-y as it was and my scar is fading to a lighter shade of pink and it doesn't look so angry! All that being said, I still have a constant 'stitch' in my side that feels not unlike a runners cramp. Some mornings I have tightness around the incision site near the lower ribs and the core strength still isn't what it used to be, but I've been told all these minor symptoms will go away in due time...as will the numbness that still plagues me. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining at all here, just stating what is going on is all. What I can complain about however is this stupid cold I picked up last week. Bleh!

Now, I have no idea how my recipient is doing although at my last clinic, they said he was doing very well, so I can only hope he continues to do well. I'll be sure to ask about him the next time I'm at Toronto General.

That's about all I can report about for now. I hate to sound like a broken record here but if you haven't yet done so, sign your donor card and tell your family and friends of your decision to do so.