Living Transplant: Patient Stories | Organ Donation | Medical Experts

At 27, Layla discovered they had been living with only one functioning kidney. After their kidney function rapidly declined, they found themselves navigating kidney failure, dialysis, and a life that looked very different from the one they had imagined. But their journey would lead to a life-changing gift: a kidney transplant from their mother, who travelled all the way from Iran to donate.

In this episode, Candice sits down with Layla to explore their journey from diagnosis to transplantation, including the emotional challenges of living with kidney disease as a young adult. Layla shares what it was like to move from Iran to Canada, discover their kidney condition, and adjust to the realities of dialysis while trying to maintain a sense of independence and connection with friends.

Together, Layla and Candice reflect on the importance of peer support, the spoon theory and the challenges of accepting help. Layla opens up about the complicated emotions surrounding their mother’s decision to donate, including the fear of putting her through surgery and the guilt of accepting such an extraordinary gift. Through therapy and reflection, Layla began to understand the transplant as an opportunity for healing, love, and connection.

Layla also shares how life changed after transplant, from the freedom to travel and enjoy everyday moments to the deeper meaning of calling the transplanted kidney “our kidney.” Whether you are navigating kidney disease, considering living donation, or supporting someone through transplantation, this conversation is a powerful reminder that hope can be found in connection, accepting help, and learning to embrace the love that others offer.

In This Episode
What it was like to navigate kidney disease as a young adult while trying to maintain friendships, work, and independence
How peer support through the Kidney Foundation helped Layla feel understood and less alone
What the spoon theory means.
Why Layla chose in-centre hemodialysis and how building support systems helped them manage their health
The emotional challenges of accepting a kidney donation from their mother
How therapy helped Layla work through guilt, fear, and the complicated emotions surrounding living donation
Why Layla calls the transplanted kidney “our kidney” and how the transplant became part of a deeper healing journey
How living with kidney disease taught Layla to accept uncertainty and appreciate the present
Why accepting help and love can be an important part of finding hope

Links
Click here for more information about living organ donation.
Click here for more information about living kidney donation
Click here for more information about living liver donation
Click here for information Sessions for potential donors
Click here to learn more about the Kidney Foundation’s Peer Support Program

Connect with the Podcast or Learn More About Organ Donation
Each episode, we share patient stories about organ donation from transplant recipients and living donors, along with insights and education from leading medical experts. Whether you’re a patient, a caregiver, a donor, or simply curious about the world of organ transplantation, you’ll hear expert advice and inspiring journeys of hope, resilience, and second chances.

About our Host
Candice Coghlan is the Education & Outreach Coordinator at the Centre for Living Organ Donation at the UHN Ajmera Transplant Centre. She is also a National Board Member for the Kidney Foundation of Canada and a kidney transplant recipient. After she was diagnosed with kidney failure in her early 20s, she was on dialysis until receiving a transplant from her mother.
Have questions? Comments? Ideas for an episode? Please reach out to the Centre for Living Organ Donation at livingorgandonation@uhn.ca.
Thanks for spending your time with us.

The views and opinions expressed in this episode do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Toronto General or University Health Network.

In this special episode, Candice sits down with Tyler, a double living organ donor whose journey began with donating blood and eventually led him to donate both a portion of his liver and a kidney. Tyler first became interested in living donation after years of donating blood and wondering about the direct impact his donations could have. He decided to anonymously donate part of his liver to someone he had never met, ultimately becoming a living liver donor at UHN’s Ajmera Transplant Centre. But his story didn’t end with one donation. Tyler decided to pursue anonymous kidney donation as well.

Then, an extraordinary series of connections changed everything. Years earlier, Tyler had met a couple while on vacation. Through a series of remarkable coincidences, he later discovered that they were connected to people in his own family—and eventually learned that the woman he had met was experiencing kidney failure and needed a transplant. Tyler had already begun the process of becoming an anonymous kidney donor. He wondered whether his donation could instead be directed to her. After going through the necessary testing, they discovered they were a match.

Together, Tyler and Candice talk about the emotional experience of anonymous donation, family concerns, recovery from two very different surgeries, and what it means to see the impact of a donation unfold over time. Tyler also reflects on the idea that one donation can affect far more than a single recipient—from a recipient’s spouse and children to the people waiting behind them on the transplant list. Whether you are considering living donation, have been touched by transplantation, or simply want to hear a remarkable story about generosity and human connection, this conversation is a powerful reminder that one decision can change far more lives than we may ever see.

In This Episode
● How Tyler’s journey into living donation began with blood donation
● Why he decided to anonymously donate part of his liver to a stranger
● How Tyler and his family navigated the fear and uncertainty surrounding donation
● Why Tyler decided to pursue a second donation—a kidney
● The incredible series of coincidences that connected Tyler with his kidney recipient
● The difference between recovering from liver and kidney donation
● The ripple effect of living donation and how one donation can impact an entire family
● What Tyler wishes more people understood about living donation
● Why he believes one decision can have a much greater impact than we may ever see

Links
Click here for more information about living organ donation.
Click here for more information about living kidney donation
Click here for more information about living liver donation
Click here for information Sessions for potential donors
Katie’s story: https://youtu.be/f6lIYM9fiCU?si=q7eE3_VCCGhha-Qx
Yorkville Run / Team Transplant: https://bit.ly/teamtransplant26

Each episode, we share patient stories about organ donation from transplant recipients and living donors, along with insights and education from leading medical experts. Whether you’re a patient, a caregiver, a donor, or simply curious about the world of organ transplantation, you’ll hear expert advice and inspiring journeys of hope, resilience, and second chances.

About our Host
Candice Coghlan is the Education & Outreach Coordinator at the Centre for Living Organ Donation at the UHN Ajmera Transplant Centre. She is also a National Board Member for the Kidney Foundation of Canada and a kidney transplant recipient. After she was diagnosed with kidney failure in her early 20s, she was on dialysis until receiving a transplant from her mother.

Have questions? Comments? Ideas for an episode? Please reach out to the Centre for Living Organ Donation at livingorgandonation@uhn.ca.

The views and opinions expressed in this episode do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Toronto General or University Health Network.

In this special episode, Candice sits down with Kevin Gosling, the first person in Canada to anonymously donate part of his liver to a stranger, made possible at UHN’s Ajmera Transplant Centre. More than 20 years later, his decision continues to shape the future of living organ donation.

Kevin shares how a simple question—What about people who don't have someone to donate for them?—led him on a journey that challenged medical norms, changed hospital policies, and ultimately created what many now call "The Gosling Effect."

Together, they discuss the barriers he faced, the emotional moments that stayed with him, the ripple effect of one selfless act, and why he believes ordinary people are capable of extraordinary generosity.

Whether you're curious about living donation, have been touched by transplantation, or simply need a reminder of the good that exists in the world, this conversation is one you won't forget.

In This Episode
How Kevin first learned that living donation to a stranger was possible
Why he refused to accept "we don't do that" as an answer
The challenges of becoming Canada's first anonymous living liver donor
The ethical questions and medical concerns behind a historic first
The support of family throughout the donation journey
Receiving a letter from the recipient's family for the first time
The origin of the "Gosling Effect" and its lasting impact
Why anonymous donation comes from a different kind of motivation
A powerful analogy about saving a life and taking a leap of faith
Kevin's hopes for the future of transplantation and organ donation

Links
Learn more about living organ donation: www.livingorgandonation.ca
Living Organ Donation at UHN: UHN Ajmera Transplant Centre
Information Sessions for potential donors: givelifeuhn.eventbrite.ca
Becoming a living donor: https://www.uhn.ca/Transplant/Pages/become_living_donor.aspx
Liver Canada: Transforming the future of liver health | Liver Canada

Each episode, we share patient stories about organ donation from transplant recipients and living donors, along with insights and education from leading medical experts. Whether you’re a patient, a caregiver, a donor, or simply curious about the world of organ transplantation, you’ll hear expert advice and inspiring journeys of hope, resilience, and second chances.

About our Host
Candice Coghlan is the Education & Outreach Coordinator at the Centre for Living Organ Donation at the UHN Ajmera Transplant Centre. She is also a board member for the National Kidney Foundation and a kidney transplant recipient. After she was diagnosed with kidney failure in her early 20s, she was on dialysis until receiving a transplant from her mother.

Have questions? Comments? Ideas for an episode? Please reach out to the Centre for Living Organ Donation at livingorgandonation@uhn.ca. Thanks for spending your time with us.

The views and opinions expressed in this episode do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Toronto General or University Health Network.

Growing up with kidney disease can feel isolating, but as this episode reminds us, you are never alone.

In this episode of the Living Transplant Podcast, host Candice Coghlan sits down with longtime friend, advocate, transplant recipient and dragon boat coach Jess Bailey. Diagnosed with kidney disease as a child, Jess shares what it was like navigating school, friendships, dialysis and two kidney transplants while learning to embrace being different.

Jess opens up about the realities of life after transplant, why a transplant is "a long-term temporary solution," and how community, peer support and sport have helped shape her journey. Together, Candice and Jess discuss the power of the Kidney Paired Donation Program, the importance of living donation, and the incredible impact that nurses, healthcare teams and fellow transplant recipients can have along the way.

The conversation also explores the Transplant Games, dragon boating, survivor's guilt, adapting to dialysis, and why hope remains at the heart of the transplant community.

Whether you're living with kidney disease, waiting for a transplant, supporting someone you love, or simply curious about organ donation, this episode is a reminder that there is always a community ready to welcome you.

In This Episode
Growing up with kidney disease and dialysis
Navigating childhood and high school while feeling "different"
Receiving a first kidney transplant as a child that lasted nearly 24 years
Life after transplant and managing lifelong medications
Why transplant is not a cure
Finding belonging through dragon boating and the Transplant Games
The importance of peer support and patient communities
Advice for newly diagnosed kidney patients
Understanding the Kidney Paired Donation Program
The generosity of living organ donors
Hope for the future of transplantation and medical innovation
Gratitude for healthcare teams and transplant nurses

Links
Learn more about living organ donation: www.livingorgandonation.ca
Living Organ Donation at UHN: UHN Ajmera Transplant Centre
Information Sessions for potential donors: givelifeuhn.eventbrite.ca
Becoming a living donor: https://www.uhn.ca/Transplant/Pages/become_living_donor.aspx
Kidney Foundation of Canada: https://kidney.ca/
Kidney Paired Donation Program: https://blood.ca/en/organs-tissues/living-donation/kidney-paired-donation-program
Canadian Transplant Association and the Canadian Transplant Games:
https://www.canadiantransplant.com

Each episode, we share patient stories about organ donation from transplant recipients and living donors, along with insights and education from leading medical experts. Whether you’re a patient, a caregiver, a donor, or simply curious about the world of organ transplantation, you’ll hear expert advice and inspiring journeys of hope, resilience, and second chances.

About our Host
Candice Coghlan is the Education & Outreach Coordinator at the Centre for Living Organ Donation at the UHN Ajmera Transplant Centre. She is also a board member for the National Kidney Foundation and a kidney transplant recipient. After she was diagnosed with kidney failure in her early 20s, she was on dialysis until receiving a transplant from her mother.

Have questions? Comments? Ideas for an episode? Please reach out to the Centre for Living Organ Donation at livingorgandonation@uhn.ca. Thanks for spending your time with us.

The views and opinions expressed in this episode do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Toronto General or University Health Network.

What actually makes someone a “match” for organ transplant? And how close are we to a future where transplant compatibility becomes even more personalized?

In this episode of Living Transplant Podcast, host Candice sits down with Jeff Kiernan from UHN’s HLA Lab to explore the hidden world of transplant immunology — the science that helps determine donor compatibility, monitor antibodies, and support long-term transplant success.

Jeff breaks down what HLA is, why the idea of a “perfect match” is often misunderstood in solid organ transplant, and how new innovations are helping highly sensitized patients access life-saving organs. From molecular matching and immune response prediction to the future of organ preservation and personalized transplant care, this conversation offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the science shaping the future of transplantation.

Candice also reflects on her own experience as a kidney transplant recipient and what it means to live with the realities of sensitization, second transplants, and long-term graft survival.

Whether you’re a transplant recipient, donor, healthcare professional, or simply curious about the incredible science happening behind the scenes, this episode shines a light on the people and technology working every day to help patients live longer, healthier lives.

In This Episode:
What HLA actually means and why it matters
The truth about “perfect matches” in organ transplant
How antibodies affect transplant compatibility
Why highly sensitized patients face additional challenges
The future of molecular matching and predictive transplant science
How UHN teams collaborate across transplant programs
Innovations in organ preservation and perfusion technology
The behind-the-scenes role of Medical Laboratory Technologists (MLTs)

Links
How UHN’s Transplant Immunology Lab matches patients with donor organs, stem cells: https://www.uhn.ca/corporate/News/Pages/uhn-transplant-immunology-lab-hla-matching.aspx
Learn more about living organ donation: www.livingorgandonation.ca
Living Organ Donation at UHN: UHN Ajmera Transplant Centre
Information Sessions for potential donors: givelifeuhn.eventbrite.ca
Becoming a living donor: https://www.uhn.ca/Transplant/Pages/become_living_donor.aspx
CBS Highly Sensitized Patient Program: https://professionaleducation.blood.ca/en/organs-and-tissues/programs/highly-sensitized-patient-hsp-program

Each episode, we share patient stories about organ donation from transplant recipients and living donors, along with insights and education from leading medical experts. Whether you’re a patient, a caregiver, a donor, or simply curious about the world of organ transplantation, you’ll hear expert advice and inspiring journeys of hope, resilience, and second chances.

About our Host
Candice Coghlan is the Education & Outreach Coordinator at the Centre for Living Organ Donation at the UHN Ajmera Transplant Centre. She is also a board member for the National Kidney Foundation and a kidney transplant recipient. After she was diagnosed with kidney failure in her early 20s, she was on dialysis until receiving a transplant from her mother.

Have questions? Comments? Ideas for an episode? Please reach out to the Centre for Living Organ Donation at livingorgandonation@uhn.ca. Thanks for spending your time with us.

The views and opinions expressed in this episode do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Toronto General or University Health Network.