'I want one really bad': Steinbach man expands search for kidney donor
A Steinbach man who has been on dialysis for three years is expanding his search for a kidney donor after exhausting all local options.
Each night, Joshua Prymych hooks himself up to a machine that cleans his blood.
"If I were to start at 8 a.m. for work, I usually want to be done about an hour before I have to start work and it takes about 9 hours, so I'd be doing it pretty early at night. I would've started preparing it at about 9 o'clock," said Prymych.
According to Transplant Manitoba, there are about 200 people in the province like Prymych waiting for a kidney. Those with blood types A, B and AB usually wait four to five years for a transplant, but for type O the wait is twice as long.
"They say about nine to ten years, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was longer because COVID definitely paused a lot of surgeries," said Prymych.
Three years ago, before starting dialysis, he started looking for a living kidney donor to try to find a match faster. Now he says there aren't any more people to ask.
"I have pretty much exhausted everyone that I know and I see on a day to day," said Prymych. "So I am really trying to reach out to other people who may know me in communities who know me well or at least would like to get to know me well and want to donate one of their kidneys to me."
In Manitoba, one must have an established relationship in order to make a directed living donation.
People can also step forward to donate to a stranger anonymously, "Ensuring fairness and equity to all those waiting for a transplant," according to a Transplant Manitoba spokesperson.
Prymych said the last three years have been a roller coaster. "I want one really bad, but even if there's someone out there right now that wants to help somebody else, that's one less person on that list who could've been waiting even longer than me."
He hopes to connect with someone soon who might be a match, and a friend.
"If someone wanted to help me out I'd be more than willing to like establish that sort of relationship and I'd feel like I'd want to anyway to get to know them well."
Last year, 67 kidney transplants were done in Manitoba. Of those, 29 were living donors.
Anonymous living kidney donors can also sign up for the kidney paired donation program through Canadian Blood Services.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.