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Hope for Valley East man with liver failure

At least five people have come forward to save a Valley East man's life with a live liver donation, says the man's wife. In late May NorthernLife.ca reported Richard Giroux needed a liver transplant to save his life .
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Richard Giroux and his wife Joanne have reached out to the public for a liver donation that could save Richard's life. Without a live donor, Richard could wait up to two years for surgery. Photo by Jonathan Migneault.
At least five people have come forward to save a Valley East man's life with a live liver donation, says the man's wife.

In late May NorthernLife.ca reported Richard Giroux needed a liver transplant to save his life.

Giroux was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis in late 2014, which has caused his liver to fail.

“He's in bed most of the time,” said his wife Joanne Giroux.

Because his liver can't effectively filter toxins from his blood, Giroux is often lethargic and nauseous.

In April his doctors added him to the liver transplant waiting list at Toronto General Hospital, but unless he can find a live donor, the wait could last two years.

Joanne said Thursday that since the NorthernLife.ca story broke, she has become aware of at least five people from the valley, who have signed up to get tested, and find out if they can donate their liver to her husband.

“There are several who heard about it through Northern Life,” Joanne said. “Things are looking brighter.”

Even family members, who were not aware Giroux was gravely ill, volunteered to donate their livers.

But Joanne said doctors at Toronto General Hospital have not kept her in the loop regarding potential donors. She is only aware of those who have personally contacted her, she said.

Any potential donors can choose to identify Giroux on the form if they wish to donate to him specifically, they should also note he is listed as a patient at Toronto General Hospital, and was born on April 22, 1959.

Giroux's blood type is A, but he can receive a liver donation from types A or O, positive or negative.

The family also encourages people to sign up as organ donors by visiting beadonor.ca. One person's organ donations can save up to eight lives.

The Giroux family is also hosting a fundraiser, to cover the high costs associated with frequent travel to Toronto, through a men's slow pitch tournament and BBQ at the Centennial Community Centre in Hanmer of July 4 and 5.

The event will run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days.

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Jonathan Migneault

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