'I found a match': Ottawa mom finds kidney donor after CTV News Ottawa story
When Alejandra Zetino made a public plea for a living kidney donor on CTV News in the summer of 2021, she hoped she would find one but did not expect it to happen so fast.
"This is something that I thought maybe one day in another universe would happen but to happen to me I couldn't believe it," Zetino said.
At the time her story aired, Zetino's kidney function was at 12 per cent and doctors told her she likely had four months left with her own kidneys before dialysis would be necessary.
Zetino was born with a gene mutation that was triggered by her pregnancy a few years ago and she was diagnosed with Alport syndrome—a disease that damages the tiny blood vessels in your kidneys.
She turned to social media and spoke with CTV News Ottawa to try and find someone who may be a match. Andrea McClymont of Renfrew was one of many who saw her story.
"I couldn't sleep, so I was scrolling through my phone reading CTV News and I saw this story and I just instantly felt a connection," McClymont said. "I sent my daughter a text and said, 'Can you reach out to this girl for me and let her know that I'm willing to try this process.'"
Tests confirmed Zetino and McClymont were a match and after a delay, the transplant surgery took place this April.
"It was actually very easy," said McClymont. "You go in, you have your surgery, [are] well-taken care of, the staff was phenomenal, went home in two days and felt perfectly fine other than a little bit tired."
More than 4,000 people in Canada are waiting for organ donation and about 77 per cent of those are waiting for kidneys.
"If Aley and I hadn't been a match, there is a paired kidney program so either way someone was going to benefit from this and I think that's really important for people to know," said McClymont. "We were grateful that we had a match but there are many people who need this and honestly the process is really quite easy, much easier than I thought it was going to be."
Zetino says she's feeling great post-surgery too.
"I was just sleeping most of my days away so now I'm awake all the time, I'm working a full-time job, I'm able to be present with my daughter, do things I love to do, go for walks I'm not winded all the time," Zetino said. "I'm mesmerized by her and her grace and her generosity and everything she's done. She's just the most incredible person to me."
The two have stayed in touch with Zetino's daughter giving McClymont a stuffed bear with a recording of her voice saying thank you for saving her mom.
"It's so beyond rewarding," McClymont said. And I think it's been as important for me as it has been for Aley and to hear that she may be able to have another child…to give somebody the opportunity to give life is amazing."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.