A New Brunswick man is hitting the road in the hopes of finding a kidney donor.
Dan McLaughlin and his wife Patricia stuck decals to the back windows of their cars on Thursday, asking people to “share your spare.” The stickers also list their phone number and Dan’s blood type.
The 58-year-old from Riverview, N.B. was diagnosed with kidney disease in 1994. He said he was put on dialysis two years ago, adding urgency to his public plea.
“A person on dialysis, on average, only about 30 per cent live five years,” McLaughlin told CTV Atlantic on Friday. “I expect to live more than that, but a deadline like that gives you a sense of urgency.”
Patricia offered him her kidney, but it wasn’t a match. Now, she’s planning to donate it to someone she matches with in order to help her husband.
“Dan will get one, and somebody else will get one as well,” she said.
McLaughlin’s kidney campaign may be in its early stages, but it’s off to a strong start. He’s already received a call from a woman offering to be tested for a possible match.
“I know there's a lot of altruistic people out there, but to actually speak to somebody who's willing to do something, that's really special,” McLaughlin said.
Once a matching donor is found, he said the transplant process can take between six months to a year to complete.
McLaughlin’s daughter Marie said she hopes a match will be found quickly, so her father’s suffering will end as soon as possible.
“Some days that are better than most,” she said. “He'll always go above and beyond.”
For McLaughlin, that means staying optimistic until he finds a match.
“I want to see my children get married. I want to see my grandchildren. All those things,” McLaughlin said.
With a report from CTV Atlantic’s Jonathan MacInnis
