You could be the key to saving a Navan, Ont. man's life as he seeks a living liver donor
A Navan man in need of a liver transplant is appealing to the public and sharing his story in the hopes of finding a match in order to save his life.
61-year-old Rolland Hupé was diagnosed with fatty liver disease and about four years ago, doctors told him he would need a liver transplant in order to live.
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
"It's a rollercoaster. He has good days, today is a good day and he has days where he doesn't get out of bed, he's weak and he's not well," said Hupé's wife Anne-Marie.
"They are encouraging us to look for a living donor so he could get a liver before he deteriorates too much, to increase his chances."
But the search has been far from easy. So far, there hasn't been a match.
"We had a lot of people that came forward," said Rolland, holding back tears.
Including his two children and his wife, along with other family members, but no one qualified.
"I went through the process, like months of testing and then four days before the surgery, it was cancelled because the last test they did found something they didn't think matched for him and would make a successful outcome for him," said Hupé. "That was devastating for us."
They expanded their search to social media, but there's been no luck there either, and with Rolland's latest health scare, time is running out.
"He's a young man in my mind, he's 61, and we have many years ahead of us," said Hupé. "We've been married for 37 years this year and it's never enough time."
Hupé's ideal match is someone 5-foot-10 or taller, with the blood type O+ or O- or A+ or A- to donate a portion of their liver at the Toronto General Hospital.
"The beautiful thing about the liver is after removing a portion of the liver it grows back to full size in both the person who donated a portion of their liver as well as the recipient who received that organ in about three months," said Dr. Nazia Selzner, UHN Living Donor Program's medical director.
Not only would a match save Hupé's life but it would bump up another name on the transplant list as well.
"The list of people who need livers or organs at all is so long, we don't know if we have weeks or months," his son Nicolas said.
While both Hupé and his wife are retired, they lived their lives helping others as a teacher and in social services.
Now they're hoping someone may be able to help them and give Hupé a second chance at life.
To find out more about donating visit uhn.ca/transplant. Donors must be between 16 and 60 years old.
If you would like to ask questions anonymously to learn more you can also email livingorgandonations@uhn.ca.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
opinion RFK Jr.'s presidential candidacy and its potential threat to Biden and Trump
Although it's still unclear how much damage Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy can do to either Joe Biden or Donald Trump this election, Washington political columnist Eric Ham says what is clear is both sides recognize the potential threat.
Haida elder suing Catholic Church and priest, hopes for 'healing and reconciliation'
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
It's 30 years since apartheid ended. South Africa's celebrations are set against growing discontent
South Africa marked 30 years since the end of apartheid and the birth of its democracy with a ceremony in the capital Saturday that included a 21-gun salute and the waving of the nation's multicolored flag.