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
How the 2023 federal budget impacts you
The federal government unveiled its spring budget Tuesday, with a clean economy as the centrepiece, and detailing targeted measures to help Canadians deal with still-high inflation.
Walmart and Costco in Canada not making food inflation worse, experts say
Experts say the Canadian presence of American retail giants such as Walmart and Costco isn't likely to blame for rising grocery prices. That's despite Canadian grocery chain executives having pushed for MPs to question those retailers as part of their study on food inflation.
These Canadian housing markets have home prices below the national average
Home prices have fallen below the national average in 14-out-of-20 regional housing markets, according to a report by Zoocasa. Saint John, N.B., took the top place for the most affordable region, with an average home price of $268,400.
Budget 2023 prioritizes pocketbook help and clean economy, deficit projected at $40.1B
In the 2023 federal budget, the government is unveiling continued deficit spending targeted at Canadians' pocketbooks, public health care and the clean economy.
Nashville shooting highlights security at private schools
Around the U.S., private schools generally do not face as many requirements as public schools for developing security plans. The Nashville shooting that killed three children and three school employees is highlighting that issue.
Hamilton family raising awareness about Strep A after sudden death of toddler
A Hamilton, Ont., family is hoping to raise awareness about Strep A after the tragic death of their two-year-old.
King Charles III makes world debut as tour starts in Germany
King Charles III arrived in Berlin on Wednesday for his first foreign trip as Britain's monarch, hoping to improve the U.K.'s relations with the European Union and to show that he can win hearts and minds abroad, just as his mother did for seven decades.
Gwyneth Paltrow's ski collision trial continues with defence
Gwyneth Paltrow's attorneys are expected to continue relying mostly on experts to mount their defense on Wednesday, the seventh day of the trial over her 2016 ski collision with a 76-year-old retired optometrist.
300 million jobs could be affected by latest wave of AI, says Goldman Sachs
As many as 300 million full-time jobs around the world could be automated in some way by the newest wave of artificial intelligence that has spawned platforms like ChatGPT, according to Goldman Sachs economists.
Regina
-
'The last time I saw my grandson alive': Grandfather testifies in 2nd-degree murder trial for Chelsea Whitby
Emerson Whitby was a busy, inquisitive toddler who was always moving around. That’s how his grandfather Travis Jolly described the 18-month-old boy as he detailed the last time he saw his grandson alive during trial at the Court of King’s Bench on Tuesday.
-
Sask. MLA Derek Meyers dies following battle with cancer
Derek Meyers, the MLA for Regina Walsh Acres has died following a battle with cancer, according to the province.
-
Five-year-old Saskatoon boy suffers head injury in dog attack
A Saskatoon couple says they felt ignored by police after their five-year-old foster son was attacked by a dog outside the Meadowgreen Confectionary on March 22.
Saskatoon
-
Taste of Saskatchewan going on hiatus this year, organizer says
Taste of Saskatchewan is tasting a break this summer.
-
Five-year-old Saskatoon boy suffers head injury in dog attack
A Saskatoon couple says they felt ignored by police after their five-year-old foster son was attacked by a dog outside the Meadowgreen Confectionary on March 22.
-
Budget 2023 prioritizes pocketbook help and clean economy, deficit projected at $40.1B
In the 2023 federal budget, the government is unveiling continued deficit spending targeted at Canadians' pocketbooks, public health care and the clean economy.
Northern Ontario
-
Hamilton family raising awareness about Strep A after sudden death of toddler
A Hamilton, Ont., family is hoping to raise awareness about Strep A after the tragic death of their two-year-old.
-
Meet the Ontario stats prof who claims he can’t stop beating Roll Up To Win
A statistics professor at the University of Waterloo discusses how he continues to beat the Roll Up To Win contest at Tim Hortons.
-
How the 2023 federal budget impacts you
The federal government unveiled its spring budget Tuesday, with a clean economy as the centrepiece, and detailing targeted measures to help Canadians deal with still-high inflation.
Edmonton
-
Edmonton man comes home to find snake native to U.S. in apartment
An Edmonton man says he hasn't slept well since finding a metre-long snake that's native to the eastern and southern American states behind his couch.
-
'Long road ahead of him': Employee shot at Edmonton Pizza Hut enters physiotherapy
The Pizza Hut employee who was shot at his workplace earlier this month is on the long road to recovery, his sister has confirmed Tuesday to CTV News Edmonton.
-
Northern Alta. community counts 4 shootings within 2 months
Mounties are investigating whether four shootings within two months in a small northern Alberta community are related.
Toronto
-
'Intense burst of snow' expected to hit Toronto area Wednesday
Spring may have arrived, but Toronto isn't quite done with winter weather yet.
-
Toronto council to meet for first time since Tory resigned, confirm mayor race dates
Toronto city council is set to meet today for the first time since former mayor John Tory resigned.
-
Man accused of killing 'adventurous' teen in Toronto subway station wanted in Newfoundland
The man who allegedly killed a 16-year-old boy remembered as an avid adventurer has been wanted on an arrest warrant issued in a Newfoundland courtroom for nearly two years.
Calgary
-
Violence at Lions Park LRT station sends two women to hospital
Two women were taken to hospital on Tuesday evening after a violent incident at a northwest CTrain station.
-
15-year-old girl shot to death in northeast Calgary
A 15-year-old girl was shot and killed in the northeast Calgary community of Martindale on Tuesday.
-
Police investigate suspicious death in downtown Calgary highrise
Police are investigating the circumstances of the death of a woman in a residential tower in downtown Calgary.
Montreal
-
McGill student with ALS will lose access to her medication when she graduates
A 22-year-old McGill student who suffers from a terminal disease could soon lose access to the medication she needs because she's graduating from university.
-
Dube's upcoming bill to reform health system raising concerns, says Quebec solidaire
The bill to be introduced by Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé Wednesday is causing concern within the health network, according to Québec solidaire health critic Vincent Marissal.
-
Kids would rather learn from smart robots than less-smart humans: new study
A new study published by Canadian researchers suggests that kindergarten-age children would rather be taught by a competent robot than an incompetent human.
Ottawa
-
Tensions flare outside Ottawa school board meeting amid gender and washrooms discussion
Tensions flared Tuesday night outside an Ottawa school board meeting as trustees heard delegations about gender and washrooms in schools.
-
Budget 2023 proposes across-the-board 3 per cent spending cut for government departments
The federal budget proposes an across-the-board three per cent spending cut for all departments and agencies, a belt-tightening move after years of massive growth in the federal public service.
-
Ottawa pickleball courts shut down after noise complaints
North America’s fastest growing sport has hit an obstacle in the village of Manotick. Pickleball—and more to the point, the noise it makes—has proven to be too loud for some neighbours.
Atlantic
-
N.S. mass shooting inquiry report must deliver 'clear commentary': family lawyer
A lawyer who represents Nova Scotia mass shooting victims' families said in an interview they are hoping "for clear commentary on what things went wrong and what things ought to have been done better or differently."
-
N.B. residents suffering from mystery brain disease call for fresh investigations
New Brunswickers suffering from a mystery neurological disorder are calling for an investigation into potential environmental causes of the health problems they've been living with for more than two years.
-
Moncton business owners want homelessness supports removed from downtown core within 30 days
The message at the forefront of Tuesday's meeting was united among the five panelists: supports for unhoused people aren’t welcome in Moncton's business district.
Kitchener
-
Meet the Ontario stats prof who claims he can’t stop beating Roll Up To Win
A statistics professor at the University of Waterloo discusses how he continues to beat the Roll Up To Win contest at Tim Hortons.
-
Hamilton family raising awareness about Strep A after sudden death of toddler
A Hamilton, Ont., family is hoping to raise awareness about Strep A after the tragic death of their two-year-old.
-
Fire breaks out at Milverton long-term care home
Fire crews in Perth East were called to a fire at a Milverton long-term care home Monday.
Vancouver
-
'How could this happen?' Mother of man killed in Vancouver stabbing looking for answers
A 37-year-old man who was fatally stabbed in Vancouver while stopping to get a coffee with his fiancé and daughter is being remembered by his grieving mother as " a beautiful soul."
-
Involuntary treatment, insufficient support: Riverview patterns continue post-closure
It's been more than a decade since the Riverview Hospital closed its doors for good and one thing is clear: The pattern of treatment, discharge, and insufficient post-hospitalization care continues throughout the province.
-
Watermain rupture displaces Burnaby residents, shuts down businesses
A watermain break is causing a massive headache for hundreds of residents living in two condo towers in Burnaby's Brentwood neighbourhood.
Vancouver Island
-
Victoria landlord to pay tenant $30K for noise, asbestos exposure after judge strikes down challenge
A Victoria landlord and property management company must pay more than $30,000 in damages and rental reduction to a tenant who complained of exposure to asbestos and excessive noise while their apartment building was renovated.
-
'Hard to keep in stock': Non-alcoholic beer and cocktails creating buzz on Vancouver Island
They’ve been pulling plenty of pints of non-alcoholic beer at Oak Bay’s Penny Farthing pub since they started carrying it this past December.
-
Elephant seal rescued from side of Saanich highway
A wayward elephant seal that was spotted off the side of the Trans-Canada Highway in Saanich was safely relocated by police and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) on Monday.