Living Transplant: Patient Stories | Organ Donation | Medical Experts

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 jo...

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...

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 supp...

Discover Maigen ’s powerful story of becoming a living liver donor during the uncertainty of COVID-19—and how one spontaneous “why not?” turned into a life-saving decision. In this episode of Living Transplant, Maigen shares how a lighthearted comment between family became the beginning of an extraordinary journey. Rooted in love, resilience, and a deep sense of care for others, her story highligh...

In this powerful episode of Living Transplant , Fadia shares her deeply personal journey through kidney disease, receiving a living donor transplant from her sister, and now navigating a return to dialysis. With honesty and vulnerability, she reflects on the evolution of her mindset—from a “go, go, go” approach to one rooted in acceptance, rest, and self-compassion. Fadia opens up about the realit...

What happens after transplant—when the surgery is over and real life begins? In this episode of Living Transplant, we’re joined by Eugenia Chan, a pharmacist from the Transplant Outpatient Pharmacy (TOP) at UHN, to explore the critical (and often unseen) role pharmacy teams play in a patient’s lifelong transplant journey. Unlike a typical pharmacy, TOP is fully integrated into the transplant progr...

Emma didn’t see herself as brave — she simply saw a problem and knew she could help. At 79 years old, Emma became a living kidney donor for her husband after he began dialysis. But the path to donation wasn’t straightforward. After initially being turned away during her first evaluation due to concerns about blood sugar levels, Emma refused to give up. She advocated for herself, gathered medical e...

In this special International Women’s Day bonus episode of the Living Transplant Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Irene Kim — abdominal transplant surgeon, Director of the Transplant Center at Cedars-Sinai, and the Esther and Mark Schulman Endowed Chair in Transplant Medicine. Beyond her many titles, Dr. Kim is also a mentor, a leader, and a mother. In this thoughtful and deeply human conversation, s...

What really happens when someone decides to become a living kidney donor? In this episode of Living Transplant, Candice sits down with UHN living donor kidney coordinator Melinda Skadorwa to unpack the full donor journey — from the first health questionnaire to surgery day and beyond. Melinda shares how she found her way into transplant nursing, what a typical (and often unpredictable) day looks l...

In this episode of the Living Transplant Podcast, host Candice Coghlan speaks with Dr. Blayne Sayed, transplant and hepatobiliary surgeon at SickKids and UHN, about the complexity and emotional depth of pediatric liver transplantation. Dr. Sayed shares what makes children’s liver surgery uniquely challenging, how families navigate the transplant journey, and why long-term relationships between car...

In this heartwarming episode of the Living Transplant podcast, we welcome Bianca and Joseph to share the incredible journey of their daughter, Camilla. Initially born healthy, Camilla’s persistent jaundice led to a life-changing diagnosis of biliary atresia at just four weeks old. After a failed Kasai procedure, the family was thrust into survival mode at SickKids Hospital, facing the terrifying r...

In this powerful episode of The Living Transplant Podcast, host Candice Coghlan is joined by Kamika Sylvester, RN — nurse, patient advocate, nonprofit founder, and tech entrepreneur — for a deeply honest conversation about racism in healthcare, patient advocacy, and reimagining what truly equitable care can look like. Kamika shares her journey as a patient first, navigating a life-altering diagnos...

In this powerful episode of The Living Transplant Podcast, host Candice Coghlan is joined by Crystal Hardy, a First Nations patient, researcher, and advocate whose lived experience with dialysis and kidney transplantation deeply informs her work in Indigenous kidney health. Crystal shares her journey through kidney failure, dialysis, and transplant — not just as a patient navigating a complex heal...

In this episode of the Living Transplant podcast, host Candice Coghlan turns the microphone on the show’s very own producer, Amy Schluter. Amy is a podcast host and producer, an entrepreneur, a mom of three and now a 25-year kidney transplant recipient. As we celebrate this incredible milestone of twenty-five years since her kidney transplant, Amy joins Candice for a heartfelt, funny, and deeply h...

In this episode of the Living Transplant podcast, Dr. Edward Cole shares his extensive experience in nephrology and kidney transplantation. With a career spanning over fifty years at the University Health Network, Dr. Cole has witnessed the trajectory of transplant medicine from its infancy to its advacned state today. He reflects on the future of nephrology, including potential innovations in tra...

In this conversation, Yitzi Gal discusses the significance of practicing failure through improvisation and mistakes in a safe environment, emphasizing the need to differentiate between minor errors and life-threatening situations. He highlights the importance of emotional resilience and the ability to assess risks in everyday life. Key Takeaways We need to practice failure in a safe space. Mistake...

In this episode of Living Transplant , we sit down with Dr. Susy Hota, an infectious diseases physician and medical director of Infection Prevention and Control at UHN. Dr. Hota takes us inside the world of C. difficile infections and the remarkable, life-changing treatment known as fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). From her early fascination with microbiology to leading pandemic preparednes...

In this powerful episode of Living Transplant, host Candice Coghlan sits down with Sasha, a social worker at Toronto General Hospital, to discuss the vital intersection of mental health, addiction recovery, and organ transplantation. Sasha shares her journey into social work, her experience supporting patients in the Alcohol Liver Disease Program, and how stigma can affect those living with alcoho...

In this deeply moving episode of The Living Transplant Podcast, host Candice Coghlan sits down with Mary, a liver transplant recipient whose story embodies courage, vulnerability, and self-advocacy. Mary opens up about her struggles with addiction, mental health, and identity, sharing how her liver transplant became a turning point toward healing — both physically and emotionally. She discusses th...

In this inspiring episode, host Candice Coghlan speaks with Megan Owen-Evans, a rare double anonymous living organ donor. Megan has given both a kidney and part of her liver—gifts offered not to family or friends, but to complete strangers in need. Together, they explore what motivates someone to step forward for such extraordinary acts of altruism, the recovery journey, and the myths and misconce...

In this episode, Dr. Marsh explains the neuroscience of altruism, from the role of the amygdala to genetic influences on empathy. Through Dr. Marsh’s donor stories and research insights we explore the spectrum of altruism and psychopathy. She reveals how the amygdala, the brain region tied to emotional responses, plays a pivotal role in altruistic behavior. Remarkably, research shows that altruist...

 In this episode of the Living Transplant podcast, host Candice Coghlan is joined by Loi Nguyen; a father, outdoorsman, and all around very positive person. Loi is living with polycystic kidney disease. We discussed his journey from diagnosis to kidney modality options, to the call that came in that changed his life: that there was a living kidney donor ready to donate a kidney to him through the...

In this episode of the Living Transplant podcast, host Candice Coghlan is joined by Winne Jerome who talks to us about her journey as a living donor to her sister through the Kidney Paired Donation Program, making that decision after having a premature newborn baby at home. She spoke about how when she found out she was able to donate a kidney to a stranger, so her sister would receive a kidney fr...

In this episode of the Living Transplant postcast, host, Candice Coghlan was joined by Stephanie Dyriw, a living liver donor to her son. Stephanie was put in a situation no parent could ever imagine, when her healthy, three and a half year old son crashed into liver failure with no warning. Within days, Stephanie and the UHN team worked tirelessly to get the testing done in partnership with SickKi...

In this episode of the Living Transplant podcast, host, Candice Coghlan, was joined by Manuel Escoto, the Patient, Family, Donor Partnerships and Knowledge Mobilization Director at CDTRP, the Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program alongside Sadia Baig, the Programs Coordinator at the Kidney Foundation of Canada, Ontario branch. What is the common thread between the three of us you...