Ryan Mclennan will forever be grateful to the man that he praises for saving his life.
Mclennan, who resided in Estevan and Alameda before moving to Calgary, gained national attention early this year when he and his wife Shakina launched a billboard campaign, looking for a donor who could supply the kidney that he desperately needed.
The billboard had a simple yet urgent message: “Ryan Mclennan needs a living kidney donor, blood type O.”
Tony Timmons, a truck driver from nearby Airdrie, Alta., saw the billboard and decided to see if he was a match. He was, and on Nov. 28, the transplant occurred that gave Mclennan a new lease on life.
Mclennan now describes Timmons as his best friend.
Mclennan was born in Estevan and his father had a house-moving business in Alameda for 30 years. He still has a lot of friends in the southeast region, and he says people still know the Mclennan name thanks to that business.
At one time, he thought the southeast region was going to be home, but due to his medical issues, he needed to be closer to a larger centre.
Mclennan’s kidney troubles started 16 years ago, when he was 27. At the time, he was in the best shape of his life. But when he had a physical for a job to build oil rigs, concerns were raised about his blood pressure. The physician instructed him to see a specialist.
It turned both of his kidneys were failing.
“It was a pretty big shock to me because I was a young guy who never drank, never smoked and exercised a lot, so I was in denial and in shock for a good six to eight months,” Mclennan told the Mercury.
His mother, Estevan resident Elaine Austin, donated a kidney, but he said he didn’t understand the gift he was getting.
“I knew it was very valuable, but I didn’t really realize how valuable it was. I was a young guy, I thought I was more invincible, and so then when it came to get a second one, the doctors told me I have high antibodies, and it’s going to be eight to 10 years to get another kidney.”
He hoped to get one from another family member, but was told it wouldn’t work, and he would have to look outside his “DNA circle.”
His wife came up with the idea for the billboard campaign in Calgary and Edmonton to find a donor. Mclennan was skeptical about the concept.
He couldn’t believe it when he found out that Timmons and stepped forward and was a match.
Only five per cent of the population with Mclennan’s blood type would be a match for a kidney transplant, so it’s hard to find a donor as it is. About 20 people who wanted to give couldn’t because of high blood pressure or weight issues.
So it was shocking when he finally had a match.
“It was basically like someone saying ‘I just won the lottery, and I want to give you the ticket,’” said Mclennan.
Once he received the news that Timmons was a match, Mclennan sat in his office at the school where he works as a shop teacher, hoping that the transplant might actually happen. But there were still more hurdles for Timmons to clear before the transplant could occur.
“He could have failed at many, many different points,” said Mclennan.
As recently as Nov. 14, there was a final blood match test. The surgery was booked, but if the test failed, the transplant would be cancelled.
Austin met Timmons for the first time in September, when she was in Calgary for a visit. She wanted to know why he wanted to do it.
“One day he was driving to work, and he saw the billboard, and he just knew he wanted to help him. He said ‘We met, there was just a real connection, and I just feel I wanted to help.’”
It’s not often that people have that instant connection, but Austin has seen that in her son and his new best friend.
“I just think he’s a really special person,” she said.
The operation was a success, and Mclennan was discharged from the hospital on Dec. 3, less than two weeks after the transplant. Each day afterwards he has to go to the hospital at 7 a.m. for bloodwork, to see the doctor and go over his results.
“For the first couple of weeks, they really monitor you closely, because they want the best for you. They want the kidney to last as long as it can, so the first couple of weeks is when your body tries to reject the kidney.”
But there are still hurdles to be cleared. Shortly after speaking with the Mercury, he had to check into the hospital for what his mother called a “hiccup;” Austin said he’ll be fine, but it forced the postponement of a celebration for the Mclennan and Timmons families.
It also delayed Austin’s return to the Energy City. She’s not sure when she’ll be home, because she won’t leave until her son is out of the hospital.
Austin credits her employer, Pharmasave, for their support and understanding regarding his health.
She is also grateful to the community for their support.
“When Ryan’s wife put out all the billboards, and everything went global on the news and all over the place, people around Estevan, we must have had … a couple of hundred phone calls, just from people around the Estevan area,” said Austin.
So many people called the Kidney Foundation to find out what they had to do to donate.
People Mclennan hasn’t seen in a very, very long time have been sending their love and support, which has been incredible. His Facebook page, Find a Kidney for Ryan Mclennan, is still up and running, and he’s amazed that people are still thinking about him.
“One of the things we plan to do is continue on and pay it forward, and try to match up a few donors, because we had a few people who didn’t match to me but are continuing to help others,” said Mclennan. “They’re going to continue on with the cycle, and we’ve been in contact with them, and they’re willing to possible let us match them up with possible recipients.”
He encourages people who are thinking about being kidney donors to fill out the forms and see what they can do.
“Maybe you’re that hero out that who can really save someone,” said Mclennan.
