Cole Derry and his family have received the news they were waiting for.
The Lumby resident is in need of a second kidney after his body began rejecting his first transplant in 2020.
Now, after more than two years of medical complications, trips to a Vancouver hospital for treatment of infections and being put back on the transplant list, Derry’s health prospects have taken a turn for the better.
“We have officially confirmed that we have a living donor kidney for Cole! It is the most amazing news ever! We have been trying to find the right words to express our amazement and gratitude but just can’t find the right thing to say,” his family recently wrote on the Cole’s Kidney Journey Facebook page.
Derry will be off to Vancouver on Sept. 6 in time to undergo kidney removal surgery Sept. 7. Surgeons will remove the previous kidney transplant and prep the site for a new kidney.
“Because of all of the previous complications the doctors want to make sure that this living donor kidney goes into the best possible body,” the family said.
This means Derry will be without any functioning kidneys post-surgery and will be even more reliant on dialysis than he is currently.
Once the doctors see how his body is coping, they will be able to schedule the new transplant. The hope is to have the transplant done in December or January at the latest.
“We want to thank everyone for sharing our story, signing up to be an organ donor and helpings us out in every aspect of this journey. We aren’t through it yet but this next adventure is about to begin.”
In July, the family said it was “flabbergasted” by the support Derry received from the community after a barn dance was held in Lumby which raised money to help cover his medical expenses, all while promoting the act of registering for organ donation.
A GoFundMe launched in April raised just over $2,000 for Derry and his wife Karen, who are living off a single income as Derry can’t work due to his health condition.
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