Dan McLaughlin is spending a little more time behind the wheel these days.
The Riverview, N.B., native is one of thousands on the waiting list for a kidney in Canada.
“A person on dialysis, on average only about 30 per cent live five years,” saysMcLaughlin.“I expect to live more than that, but a deadline like that gives you a sense of urgency.”
The 58-year-old put a decal on the back windows of the family cars. His public plea started Thursday, and he already received a call from a woman offering to be tested for a possible match.
“I know there's a lot of altruistic people out there, but to actually speak to somebody who's willing to do something, that's really special,” says McLaughlin.
McLaughlin's wife Patricia offered her kidney, but it wasn’t a match. Despite that, she says she'll still donate a kidney to someone else.
“If Dan does find a donor, I'm still going to donate to somebody that I can match with, so Dan will get one and somebody will get one as well,” she says.
McLaughlin was diagnosed with kidney disease in 1994. Since then, the organs slowly lost their ability to function. He started dialysis two years ago.
His daughter says it difficult seeing her dad suffer.
“Some days that are better than most,” says Marie McLaughlin. “There are some really bad days too, but that same time he's always positive. He'll always go above and beyond.”
Kind of like what he's doing now. Mclaughlin says he has to, because he still has things to do.
“I want to see my children get married, I want to see grandchildren, all those things,” he says.
McLaughlin says once a donor is found, the transplant process can take six months to a year to complete.
So time is of the essence.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Jonathan MacInnis.
