Manitoba teen adopted from Ukraine in need of kidney transplant
A Steinbach area teen is hoping for the gift of life.
Thirteen-year-old Fallon Steeves found out she was in end-stage renal failure not long after she was adopted from Ukraine in mid-2020.
She is one of 11 children adopted by Sharon and Rob Steeves from the same orphanage.
"I actually had, really, fun with them, that's why when they asked me if they wanted to adopt us I say, ‘yes,’ because they are really good parents," said Fallon.
Fallon has been waiting on the transplant list ever since. Sharon said finding a kidney donor is proving to be a challenge because the family doesn't know her full family history and Fallon’s blood type is B positive, which is rare.
Sharon said Fallon has been on the waitlist longer than most kids and the last ten weeks or so have been very rocky for Fallon’s health.
“Normally kids get a kidney before anybody else because they're children, but because Fallon is a very rare blood group, they haven’t been able to find a match," she said.
The Steeves have also unsuccessfully tried to find a living donor among family and friends.
They’ve been waiting for a match for several years now and Fallon's medication depletes the family's drug coverage in only a few months.
Each night she goes to bed early and is hooked up to dialysis that cleans her blood while she sleeps. There are many things she would rather be doing.
"I want to watch a movie or play a board game or something like that," said Fallon.
"Since she came to Canada she hasn’t really experienced what real family life is, because we've had to hook her up to a machine for 11 hours every night," said Sharon.
The Steeves are hoping their story compels someone to become a living kidney donor even if the organ goes to someone else on the list.
"There are lots of kids on the transplant list that need kidneys and if you’re a younger person and you're healthy, consider being a kidney donor," said Sharon.
But if Fallon finds a match, she would get to play sports and be a more independent teenager without being tied to a machine.
"I would be really happy and I would really be thankful for the person who gave me a kidney," she said.
More information on living kidney donation can be found through Transplant Manitoba.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Train derailed in Sarnia after colliding with a truck
Police are investigating after a transport truck collided with a train in Sarnia.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.