Donovan DeBattista

One man, four kidneys and counting

Donovan was diagnosed with IGA nephropathy in 2014. His first transplant was rejected outright on the operating table and it was discovered that he has a rare antibody called JKa1. His second transplant yielded only marginal results because that donor kidney had one marker towards the antibody. It only ever functioned at 30% and has been declining.

He is a fighter and an optimist, and despite the odds remains a believer. He needs yet another transplant and 1% of the Canadian population will be a possible match because of his rare antibody panel. One percent of the population of Canada who would be of donor appropriate age amounts to roughly 250,000 people. Maybe you are one of those 250,000 special people who could save a life. You will never know if you don’t try.