Be a live kidney donor, encourages Islander on wait list for 2 years
Donors don't have to be relatives and people only need one kidney to live a healthy life
An Islander who's been waiting two years for a kidney transplant is encouraging people to consider being a live donor.
Tom Eldershaw, who's from Souris, P.E.I., has been on dialysis for five years. He spends four hours three times a week getting dialysis.
He's gone over to Halifax twice for a new kidney, only to find out they weren't viable or a good match for him.
"Every day the phone rings, I think this is it," he said of waiting for a transplant.
He's one of over 130 Islanders on dialysis right now, requiring hospital visits several times a week. Fourteen of those are on a wait list for a kidney transplant, a wait that can last years.
Eldershaw believes many people have misconceptions about live donation.
"I think everybody seems to feel that you need to be related to be a live donor, but that's not the way it is anymore," he said.
"Because of advances in medical care and medical testing that can match a wider range of people ... there's a lot more likelihood that you'll find a match through a live donation."
People can live a healthy life with one kidney. Eldershaw is encouraging people to consider "sharing their spare."
He's hoping a kidney can be found for him soon.
"I would get my life back."
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With files from CBC News: Compass