Community rallies to support Barrie boy in need of kidney transplant

A Barrie boy’s parents, his school, and the community are on a mission to help find him a kidney.

For most kids, turning 12 is a milestone filled with school, sports and time with friends, but for Blake Robinson, most days are spent at SickKids Hospital undergoing dialysis as he battles Stage 5 chronic kidney disease.

Since the Barrie boy’s Nephrotic Syndrome diagnosis - a condition caused by kidney damage - Blake’s health has rapidly declined. His mother Samantha McDonnell and her partner have largely been off work to care for him, and seeing her son battling hasn’t been easy.

“Most kids go into remission where he wasn’t able to achieve that,“ McDonnell said. ”And then [he] just kept getting kind of worse. And then he went into kidney failure.”

Now, he requires regular hemodialysis treatments and, eventually, a kidney transplant. Unfortunately, McDonnell’s blood type isn’t compatible to donate to her child, so the family is searching for a suitable match, and the community is right behind them.

“We started a Facebook group with all of our friends and everybody shared it,” McDonnell said.

Blake’s longtime hockey coach, Taylor Walker, pitched in by selling helmet stickers to raise funds for the family. “Anything, any little amount makes a big difference, right?” asked Walker. “Blake’s a strong kid. He’s going to be able to pull through.”

Additionally, Domino’s Pizza locations in Barrie and Innisfil are stepping up to help. On ‘Raise the Dough Day,’ Wed., March 19, $5 from every two medium, two-topping pizza special will go toward helping Blake’s family.

A GoFundMe campaign launched by Blake’s grandmother noted the family needs to travel to SickKids Hospital in Toronto three to fives times each week. “With the rising costs of everyday life, plus the extra expenses of travel, parking, and hospital visits, they could really use some help,” the campaign, which has so far raised $4,600, stated.

“All we want is for Blake to get back to being a kid—going to school, playing hockey, and hanging out with his friends. He still has a long road ahead, but he’s a positive, strong kid, even through these tough times," the GoFundMe continued.

“I need to get him better because I need him here,” his mom added.