Abbotsford hotdog-stand owner Skully White successfully donated a kidney to customer Tim Hiscock on Monday (Dec. 14).
The pair went through the hours-long surgery at Vancouver General Hospital, and White was already posting on social media late Monday afternoon.
White said he was feeling “tender” from the procedure.
Early Tuesday morning, White reported that he had walked a few steps down the hall, and he later posted a picture of him with Hiscock.
Another post summed up how Hiscock was doing.
“Sitting in Tim’s room, doctors and nurses are finally gone. Just chilling out. I asked him, apart from the pain how do you feel? Do you notice the change not being on dialysis? And the look on his face was absolutely precious. Definitely one of the best feelings of this journey,” White wrote.
Hiscock, 46, was diagnosed with insulin-dependent diabetes 16 years ago and was told in May 2019 that his kidneys were drastically deteriorating.
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By November of that year, he was told that he was approaching the need for dialysis and should start looking for a kidney donor.
White, 51, owns and operates Lullys Food Experience, a gourmet hotdog stand that runs out the Canadian Tire parking lot in Abbotsford.
Hiscock was a regular customer there, and he told White about the health issues he was facing.
White immediately informed Hiscock that if they were a blood match, he would donate his kidney.
Once the match was confirmed – they are both type O – a series of tests followed throughout this year that included ultrasounds, CAT scans, and blood-tissue sampling. As well, White had to undergo psychological testing.
They found out near the end of October that they had passed all the hurdles, and a surgery date was scheduled.
Meanwhile, Hiscock was on daily dialysis for several months, most recently doing it from home.
White is expected to be off work for three months in total – his last day was Nov. 29 – and a GoFundMe campaign started by Hiscock’s wife, Cindy, has raised almost $23,000 to support him during his time off. (The campaign can be found by searching “Skully of Lullys is Giving My Husband a Kidney” at gofundme.com.)
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