Sudbury.com first met Erik Robichaud last December, when BESTECH surprised him along with his wife Rachel and two young children, Abby and Dominic, with a memorable trip to Great Wolf Lodge as part of Sudbury.com's 12 Days of Kindness.
Erik was in college when he was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis, a life-altering liver disease for which there is no cure and currently no medication to help control it.
His best option was to find a living donor.
After spending nine years on the organ donors list, Erik, who is now 39-year-old, finally found his match.
But the news of a suitable match was bittersweet because the living donor would be his little sister, Jessica Robichaud.
"It's a two-sided coin," Erik told Sudbury.com. "Great, there's a match, but I'm not exactly happy that it's my sister because that means we will both be going for surgery.
"Her surgery is unnecessary. I don't have a choice whether or not to have the surgery but she does. And you can't help but worry of what could happen. But at the same time, I know I would do it for her."
It was October 2018 when Jessica first learned that as a blood type O, she could potentially be a living liver donor for her brother.
"He was on the donors list for the longest time and he always said he was looking for a B donor so I didn't think anything of it," Jessica said.
Until Erik's wife Rachel posted more donor information online.
"Rachel posted something on Facebook that you could be type B or O and I was like 'Whoa, wait a minute. Where did this come from?'"
Jessica immediately started the process to get tested.
It took nearly a year for doctors to conduct the necessary MRIs, CT scans, ultrasounds, x-rays and bloodwork before Jessica was approved as a suitable match by the London Health Sciences Center on Sept. 26, 2019.
The surgery is scheduled to take place on January 15, 2020 in London.
"She really doesn't have to do this. No one is forcing her," Erik said.
"She's my sibling but she is my hero."
With Jessica currently living in Alberta and Erik residing in Greater Sudbury, the siblings are looking to rent an apartment in London for at least a month while they recover from surgery together.
A GoFundMe campaign has been setup to help pay for the cost as Jessica will be required to stay in London for up to five months and Erik is expected to spend three to six months recovering from the surgery.
"He's my brother and although we are nine years apart, we've always been very close." Jessica said.
"For me, it's not a question. It wouldn't be the same without him and I'll do anything to keep him around."
Today, in Ontario, there are more than 1,500 people waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant. This is their only treatment option, and every three days someone will die because they did not get their transplant in time.
Organ donations don’t just positively impact the life of the person who receives them – they also bring purpose to the family of the donor, with a gift of life that keeps giving.
A two-minute Act of Kindness can save up to eight lives. Becoming an organ or tissue donor is easy. Register at BeADonor.ca and remember to talk to your loved ones about your wishes to become an organ donor.
