Christmas miracle for woman awaiting kidney

Lynn Carriere is still marvelling at what she calls a Christmas miracle.

At around 12:30 a.m. Dec. 26, her family received a long-awaited phone call: London Health Sciences Centre in London, Ont. told them a kidney was available for Lynn's 24-year-old daughter, Melanie Carriere.

For the past three years, Melanie has been living with kidney failure. She's been on a waiting list for a kidney transplant for about 18 months.

Although she's been on nocturnal home dialysis, the young woman's health has severely restricted her activities.

“She can't go swimming, she can't really eat like she wants, she can't really have any sleepovers anywhere, because she's plugged in all night,” Lynn said.

Upon receiving the news a kidney was available, Melanie was excited because of the prospect of leading a more normal post-surgery life, her mom said.

Nevertheless, Lynn said she and and her husband were “scared to death” because their daughter was about to undergo risky surgery.

After receiving the phone call, Melanie and her father, Gerry, hopped a plane to London, while Lynn drove there in their vehicle.

Hours later, Melanie underwent the kidney transplant operation, which was successful. However, she's currently on a respirator in the hospital's intensive care unit because the anti-rejection drugs attacked her lungs.

Doctors are working on adjusting her medications, and say Melanie should make a full recovery.

“She just woke up today, actually,” Lynn said, speaking to NorthernLife.ca Dec. 29. “She told me she loved me. She didn't say it, because she can't speak because she has that tube in her mouth, but she wrote it with her finger, in the air.”

While she doesn't know who the kidney donor is, Lynn said she wants their family to know how much their loved one's gift means. “We are so, so thankful, but at the same time, so sad for them, because obviously they lost a loved one,” she said.

Lynn said she also wants to encourage people to sign up as organ donors, because they could save lives. “I never realized how important it was before this,” she said.

Then there's all the people who are helping out the Carriere family. Lynn said she wants to thank her employer, Nor-Tec Industries, and her husband's employer, Day Construction, for their emotional and financial support during their daughter's recovery, which is expected to take about a month.

A friend of the family, Magalie Blais, has also set up a crowdfunding campaign to raise money to cover the family's living expenses while they're in London. The campaign has already raised more than $3,500.

To donate, visit www.gofundme.com, and enter “Melanie Carriere” in the search bar.