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
DEVELOPING Defence rests without Donald Trump taking the witness stand in his New York hush money trial
Donald Trump's lawyers rested their defence Tuesday without the former president taking the witness stand in his New York hush money trial.
Passenger killed, 30 injured as Singapore Airlines flight hits severe turbulence
One passenger was killed and 30 injured after a Singapore Airlines SIAL.SI flight from London hit severe turbulence en route on Tuesday, forcing it to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, officials and the airline said.
Feels like mid-30s in parts of Canada, while other areas expecting snow
Anything is possible this week, as far as Canada's weather is concerned, with forecasts ranging from scorching heat in some parts of the country to rain and snow in others.
Canada's inflation cools to 3-year low of 2.7%, in boost for rate cut bets
Canada's annual inflation rate slowed to a three-year low of 2.7 per cent in April, matching expectations, and core measures continued to ease, data showed on Tuesday, likely boosting chances of a June interest rate cut.
Trump campaign calls 'The Apprentice' 'blatantly false,' director offers to screen it for him
Donald Trump's reelection campaign called 'The Apprentice,' a film about the former U.S. president in the 1980s, 'pure fiction' and vowed legal action following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. But director Ali Abbasi is offering to privately screen the film for Trump.
Nestle to sell $5 pizza, sandwiches in the U.S. for Wegovy, Ozempic users
Nestle NESN.S will market a new, US$5 line of frozen pizzas and protein-enriched pastas in the United States which it says it designed specifically for people taking drugs such as Wegovy or Ozempic for weight loss.
What is BORG drinking, and why is it a dangerous trend? An expert explains
If you've been to a party lately and haven't seen someone drinking a BORG, you're likely not partying with college students.
Independent stores and grocery alternatives see sales boost amid Loblaw boycott
As the month-long boycott of Loblaw-owned stores wears on, small independent food retailers and alternative grocery options say they're seeing a boost in traffic and sales.
London judge rejects Prince Harry's bid to add allegations against Rupert Murdoch in tabloid lawsuit
Prince Harry can't expand his privacy lawsuit against The Sun tabloid publisher to include allegations that Rupert Murdoch and some other executives were part of an effort to conceal and destroy evidence of unlawful information gathering, a London judge ruled Tuesday.