Dave Allingham and Kim LeBlanc have shared many things: laughter, a unique friendship, Christmas dinner, and a very special heart.
The pair was connected in 2012, when LeBlanc’s 15-year-old son, Tyler Schwering, was struck and killed by a transport truck. LeBlanc decided to donate Schwering’s organs, and Allingham received his heart.
Because of the strict privacy regulations around the procedure, LeBlanc and Allingham never expected to meet each other. But after hearing both of their stories, a mutual friend connected the dots and asked if the pair would like to get in touch.
Now, Allingham and LeBlanc are close friends, and they are sharing their story with the world, raising awareness about organ donations and heart health.
On Wednesday, Leblanc told CTV’s Canada AM about the moment she decided to donate her son’s organs.
"It was not an easy decision. I think when someone comes in and asks you (if you want to donate the organs), then you realize 'This is final,' " she said. "But we knew that this is something Tyler would have wanted, and we were just trying to make the best of the worst situation."
Schwering’s organs went to seven different recipients, one of whom was Allingham.
Allingham had a genetic heart disease which caused scar tissue to build up around his heart. By the time of the transplant, he was bedridden in hospital, hooked up to a machine that pumped his blood, and running out of time.
"I was given approximately 30 days on that machine before serious consequences would set in and really reduce my chances of being a recipient," Allingham said.
He remembers the 3 a.m. call that he was getting a new heart.
"The first thing I thought about was that some family had just lost a loved one, and I thought 'What could they be going through? And yet they thought of me,' " he said. "They thought of me to save my life, in light of their own tragedy. I was very, very overwhelmed."
After the successful transplant, Allingham and LeBlanc exchanged anonymous letters through the Trillium Gift of Life Network. Then, through their friend, they agreed to meet.
Allingham said the first meeting was emotional and sensitive, like "walking on eggshells," but the two also felt an instant connection.
"As soon as he walked in, I know it was him. I could feel Tyler with me," LeBlanc said. "It was unbelievable."
Since then, the pair has "become family," LeBlanc said. They even spent Christmas together in 2013.
Through LeBlanc, Allingham has also come to know more about Schwering and his life.
"It’s been an honour to get to know who this young man was," Allingham said. "His legacy does live on."
For Allingham, part of that legacy involves fundraising for and riding in an annual 50 kilometre bike ride for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
After his heart disease left him, in his words, "a literal couch potato," Allingham embraced his new heart by getting back on a bike. He first participated in Toronto’s Becel Heart & Stroke Ride for Heart only one year after his transplant.
With LeBlanc’s support, Allingham is returning to the ride on Sunday, when he will pedal again in Schwering’s honour.
