Artist Michael Gaudet poses with a piece of Manitou Reflections project following his kidney transplant surgery. (Submitted photo/Michael Gaudet)

By Angie Rolheiser

Organ donation

Manitou Beach man advocating for organ donation after second kidney transplant

Aug 9, 2019 | 5:00 PM

After over five years of being on a wait list for a new kidney, Michael Gaudet has undergone major surgery and is at home doing well.

The Village of Manitou Beach artist and resident is now advocating for more people to become organ donors.

The 60 year-old had been on dialysis and awaiting the call for a kidney match and the surgery that would give him yet another shot at life. On June 10, a call at 8 p.m. would mean the wait was over and it was time to head to Saskatoon with his wife Sharon alongside him to change both of their lives.

Gaudet, who is known for his gigantic community murals, had his first kidney transplant in 1979 at the age of 21. That donation came from his brother.

“I staggered into the hospital and found out that I had really bad kidney failure and that they needed to save me,” he said.

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He got his transplant seven months later and weeks afterward was perfectly healthy.

Five years ago, Gaudet required dialysis treatments to remain alive which meant he would make several trips a week into the city for several hours each session.

“Dialysis is life sustaining so it gives you a chance to fight another month until that gift of life comes along but really we had no idea if it was going to happen,” Gaudet said. “As grim as it sounds not everyone survives long enough to get another transplant.”

He said most people that die while on dialysis actually die of heart attacks because the excess fluid is hard on the heart.

“I just kept hoping and praying that I would survive long enough to have a second transplant,” he said.

With this being his second transplant, Gaudet said the technology has greatly improved compared to 40 years ago.

“Nowadays, living donors heal about the same rate as the recipient so things have really, really changed,” Gaudet said.

Pain management and surgery are also much better now thanks to medical advancements.

Living donors are “fairly unusual” according to Gaudet, so he is advocating for people to consider getting their organ donor cards signed.

“I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to sign your donor card and inform your family,” Gaudet said. “Deceased donation is becoming more common.”

Gaudet refered to Logan Boulet from the Humboldt Broncos bus crash – who was kept alive long enough following the crash to have his organs donated. His donor wishes enabled seven lives to be saved.

“There was a big surge in people signing their cards,” Gaudet said. “It just takes someone to set a good example of selflessness and that gift of life to inspire other people.”

An opt-out program is used in Nova Scotia and Gaudet is hoping to see that come to Saskatchewan.

“I think that’s a really good idea, that way you have to take action to become a non-donor, versus just agreeing to being a donor,” Gaudet said. “That is really going to increase donations.”

According to the Kidney Foundation of Canada, four million Canadians and 850 million people in the world will have kidney disease in their life. Kidney disease is the sixth fastest growing cause of death.

The good news continues for Gaudet as his three to four trips into the city are now down to one as he is in the recovery stage.

Although being on dialysis impeded Gaudet on some days over the last five years, he was still able to accomplish many great things in his home village of Manitou Beach as well as in the province.

Gaudet painted large scale murals in Tisdale, Young, and at Manitou Beach and is currently working on another centennial project for Manitou known as the Manitou Reflections project. Work continues on the project alongside two other Manitou Beach artists, Darrel Baschak and Robert Thibault.

“I am limited to just designing right now,” Gaudet said.

The project is a stainless steel wall that will sit on the shore of Little Manitou Lake. It is a mirrored finish so anything that takes place in front of it will be reflected.

A ribbon cutting ceremony will take place once the wall is complete although there is no confirmed completion date. Gaudet said they are hoping for the first week of September.

As for the kidney transplant process and the timing of it, Gaudet is feeling stronger with each passing day.

“I think it is just so important to keep a positive attitude and just keep putting that positive energy out into the universe,” Gaudet said.

Gaudet said they do not know anything else about the 60-year-old donor that he got his kidney from other than “he had the good foresight to sign his donor card.”

Gaudet went into surgery at around 4 a.m. on Tuesday, June 11.

“My doctor, Mike Moser kept reassuring me that one of these mornings I would be wheeling down to the operating room and he would be waiting with a kidney,” Gaudet said.

The surgery took about two hours but the kidney did not start working for a while since it was from a deceased donor.

Within a few days, he was feeling better and was up and walking.

Along with Gaudet, a lady from Regina also got her kidney transplant from the same donor.

“We are now officially kidney siblings and we keep in touch,” he said.

Gaudet is almost pain-free with just tinges of pain and feelings of being fragile but the road ahead is looking positive.

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angie.rolheiser@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @Angie_Rolheiser