Kamloops family turns to Facebook in emotional search for kidney donor – Kamloops News

Photo: Facebook

The cover photo for the recently launched Ryan Firman – Find a Living Kidney Donor Facebook group

All hands are on deck for a Kamloops family as they hustle to find 25-year-old Ryan Firman a kidney donor before he is forced to go on dialysis.

March is National Kidney Health Month and fittingly, the Firman family’s campaign was pushed into overdrive on Mar. 2 with the launch of a Facebook group called Ryan Firman – Find a Living Kidney Donor.

The group now boasts well over 100 members as Ryan searches for a kidney.

Ryan’s mom, Susan Firman, who is spearheading the outreach for the family, said the support has been overwhelming.

“It has restored my faith in humanity,” she said. “People are super supportive, willing to share [posts], willing to potentially make a donation.

“My heart is full and I think I’ve cried more in the last week than I have in my whole life.”

Firman’s search for a kidney has even penetrated the walls of Kamloops city hall.

“On behalf of Ryan Firman, who’s 25 years old, if we can get the message out there that if anybody can help this family out by reaching out to them,” Coun. Bill Sarai said at Tuesday’s council meeting.

“His kidney’s at 13 per cent right now, and I think we really need to step up on behalf of them.”

Living with kidney disease

Ryan’s mother still recalls how the family got the news.

“I’ll never forget it, he was sitting on the couch and he had come home from school as a 16-year-old boy, he said ‘I didn’t feel well at school, I felt light-headed’,” Susan said.

A few days later, the symptoms were back and he was taken to hospital for tests. He was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and found out that his kidneys were operating at 25 per cent due to kidney disease.

His kidney condition prevented him from taking medication to treat his colitis.

As a result, Ryan had an emergency visit to Royal Inland Hospital in 2020 leading to several surgeries to treat his colitis, according to his mother.

His stomach issues were taken care of, but his kidneys were worsening each year impacting his quality of life.

“Ryan was super active as a youngster, he was on every kind of sports team,” Susan said, adding that he doesn’t have the same energy that earned him an athlete of the year award in junior high.

“It’s turned into, he goes to work and he goes home.”

His kidney is operating at 13 per cent of its capacity, which Susan said is considered kidney failure. Without a donor soon, Ryan will need to go on dialysis.

Finding a donor

Ryan’s immediate family members tried to begin the donation process, and his father was nearly a match, but no donors were found to be compatible.

“We thought that we could just handle this within our own family and look after things,” Susan said.

However, the family is hoping that the Kamloops community and beyond will be able to offer Ryan a kidney.

Susan said she has already heard from people who said they would call the Vancouver General Hospital to start the multi-month process of confirming whether they would be a match for Ryan.

They are hoping to get as many offers as possible, because the criteria to donate kidneys is strict.

For more information on Ryan Firman’s situation, visit the Facebook page.

To learn more about donation and if you may be eligible to help Ryan, call 1-604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182 or send an email to kidneydonornurse@vch.