Liver donor found for Taber councillor
David Bell | CBC News | Posted: April 27, 2016 11:02 PM | Last Updated: April 28, 2016
Donor named 'Andy' is a match and will donate part of his liver next week
A living donor has been found for a Taber town councillor in need of a liver transplant after friends and the community rallied around him.
Jack Brewin, 50, was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease last year but he's had a hard time finding a donor, in part because he's a big guy, at six feet four inches tall.
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His 24-year-old son Jordan didn't qualify.
Friends launched a Facebook page desperate to make a connection.
That connection came Wednesday, supporters announced in a post to the page.
"An amazing man named Andy has tested positive to be a match for Jack, and will be donating part of his liver to Jack next week," the post reads.
The incident, however, highlights a challenge for those in need of organ donations in Alberta.
Dr. James Shapiro is in charge of the province's living donor liver transplant program.
"We know that up to a third will die while waiting for a transplant, and it's an absolute tragedy," he told CBC News earlier this month.
"We just don't have enough organs to go around."