Kelowna woman awaiting liver transplant now in acute kidney failure; MLA calls for urgent action

A B.C. woman waiting for a life-saving liver transplant is now in hospital after her condition took a serious turn.

A Kelowna woman awaiting a life-saving liver transplant has been hospitalized with acute kidney failure, as her family and supporters continue to press for answers about when she will receive a donor organ.

Lyndsay Richholt, 42, is in end-stage liver failure caused by an autoimmune disease and had expected to receive a transplant earlier this month following months of public advocacy.

But the transplant has not happened, and her condition has worsened.

Kristina Loewen, the MLA for Kelowna-Centre, said Richholt’s health took a serious turn this week.

“Now she has acute kidney failure—that’s a new development since Tuesday—a possible blood infection as well,” Loewen said. “How is this woman on her death bed supposed to advocate for herself?”

Loewen said she and others have repeatedly sought answers on Richholt’s behalf, but have encountered resistance.

“The system keeps failing Lyndsay Richholt,” she said.

Richholt has previously said she believes BC Transplant’s scoring system—known as MELD, or Model for End-Stage Liver Disease—does not properly reflect the severity of her autoimmune condition.

“They’ve also confirmed that my MELD score is incorrect,” Richholt said in an earlier interview. “MELD score does not calculate correctly for autoimmune diseases. Our complications and symptoms just don’t fit into that paradigm.”

The MELD score is used to help determine priority for liver transplant recipients based on the severity of their illness.

Richholt ultimately resorted to soliciting living donors online. She got more than 50 responses.

BC Transplant told CTV News that donor testing takes a minimum of three months, and the process remains confidential. If a donor changes their mind, that information is kept confidential too.

Loewen raised Richholt’s case during question period Thursday, urging the province to help.

“I’m begging you … will this minister please help Lyndsay and her family, before another British Columbian dies under your care,” she said.

Health Minister Josie Osborne responded that politicians cannot intervene in clinical decisions.

“We are doing everything we can to support the member, in the way that we can, a person such as Lyndsay who is facing this issue,” Osborne said. “We cannot politically interfere in a decision being made by care providers, by trained medical staff.”

Richholt’s husband, Jeremiah, said in a message that her health continues to decline, but the family remains grateful for the support they have received as they await news of a transplant.