The Abbotsford hotdog-stand owner who donated his kidney to a customer in December has started a campaign to find live kidney donors for others in need.
Skully White said the campaign, which he calls “It’s for the People,” currently has about 10 people looking for kidneys and about 12 donors who have started the process of blood and tissue sampling.
He went public with the campaign last Thursday (Jan. 14) on social media.
“We are going to promote kidney awareness but more importantly we are going to find others willing to become live kidney donors,” he wrote.
White said he is working with the kidney office at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) to find local people in need.
He posted about the first candidate – Gavin Quon, 61, a retired police officer of 33 years who lives in Abbotsford and is battling kidney disease.
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“Gavin has 3 kids and 3 grandkids which are his life,” White wrote. “He is doing dialysis at a very weird hour – 8:30 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. – so that he has more time to spend with them.”
Quon’s blood type is O+ and his kidney function is currently at six per cent.
“His family and friends are hoping he will receive a kidney transplant so he will be able to take them to the park and get to watch them grow up,” White posted.
White, 51, who owns and operates Lullys Food Experience out of the Abbotsford Canadian Tire parking lot, donated his kidney to Tim Hiscock last year.
Hiscock, 46, was diagnosed with insulin-dependent diabetes 16 years ago and was told in May 2019 that his kidneys were drastically deteriorating.
By November of that year, he was told that he was approaching the need for dialysis and should start looking for a kidney donor.
RELATED: Kidney-transplant surgery complete for Abbotsford hotdog-stand owner and customer
Hiscock was a regular customer at the hotdog stand and, when he told White about the health issues he was facing, White told him that he would donate his kidney if they were a match.
Meanwhile, Hiscock began daily dialysis in 2020, but he and White found out near the end of October that they had passed all the hurdles. They went through surgery Dec. 14 at VGH and both are doing well.
White said he was home walking his dog 48 hours after the surgery, and returned to work over the weekend after expecting to be off for three months.
Now it’s his mission to help save other lives. Anyone who wants to help can contact him at 250-384-0403 or skully@lullys.ca.
Those interested in being a live donor can also contact VGH directly at 604-875-5182 (email kidneydonornurse@vch.ca) or St. Paul’s Hospital at 604-806-9027 (email donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca).
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