Quebec police officer anonymously donates kidney, changes schoolteacher's life
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore made a selfless decision that changed the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Joanna Love is a Quebec school teacher that was diagnosed with severe kidney disease during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Annie Devost is a Longueuil police (SPAL) officer, who wanted to help someone.
"The desire was to give someone life since I didn't have any children, I did not have that luck," said Devost. "I wanted to give life back and that was my way to do it."
Devost said she was in a dark place after grieving the loss of her mother. She heard an interview on the radio with an anonymous kidney donor that inspired her to do the same.
At the same time, Love was on dialysis, waiting for a match.
"They said I had severe kidney disease and I would need a transplant," she said. "I was told five to six years, and so I was like, okay, that's what you have to do because you have a family, and that's what I had to do."
Devost contacted Transplant Quebec and went to the MUHC for tests to see if she would be a good match for someone.
After many tests, she was approved to donate -- but she had one condition.
"I don't want my kidney to go to Halifax or Vancouver, I want it to stay here in Quebec!" she said.
Longueuil police officer Annie Devost donated her kidney to schoolteacher Joanna Love as an act to give back and help another. (Joanna Love)
Love was ecstatic when she was told a match had been found and floored when she found out it was a living stranger who would be donating the organ.
"What kind of person does this?" she said. "This is an extraordinary person."
In Quebec, around 10 per cent of transplanted organs come from living donors, far below the national average.
Living donor kidneys have a far longer lifespan, according to Dr. Ahsan Alam.
Also, a person can live a healthy, active life with one kidney.
"The goal for us is to make sure: one, that they are motivated themselves to be a living donor, we don't want any pressure or coersion or influence to make their decision," said Alam. "The second is that they should be healthy."
Joanna Love was ecstatic when she found out that a stranger had donated a kidney to her after she was diagnosed with severe kidney failure. (Joanna Love)
Love and Devost had their surgeries at the Royal Victoria Hospital, though they didn't know the other was there.
Contact is prohibited unless both parties want to meet.
The women wrote letters to each other and then got together.
"We hugged for so long," said Love. "We had this instant bond with one another."
"I was so happy for her, for her children, for her husband," said Devost.
Devost said that by sharing her story, she hopes to inspire others to donate.
"My mom would be proud of me. I know," she said.
Love also wants to give back.
She got the two matching kidney necklaces with the date of their surgeries inscribed.
"My life has changed completely because of her," she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Pack the macaroni necklace: Lessons on evacuations from a woman who fled one of Canada's worst wildfires
Carol Christian had 15 minutes to evacuate her home during the Fort McMurray wildfires in 2016. She ended up losing the house and everything inside. Now, she wants to share the lessons she learned.
Scheffler detained by police at PGA Championship for not following orders after traffic fatality
Masters champion Scottie Scheffler was detained by police Friday morning on his way to the PGA Championship, with stunning images showing him handcuffed as he was led to a police car. ESPN reported he failed to follow police orders during a pedestrian fatality investigation.
Ontario sees first measles death in more than a decade after young child dies
A young child has died of measles in Ontario, marking the first death in the province from the highly contagious virus in more than 10 years, a Public Health Ontario report confirms.
Think twice before sharing 'heartbreaking' social media posts, RCMP warn
Mounties in B.C. are urging people to think twice before sharing "heartbreaking posts" on social media.
'Ugly produce': One way Canadians are shrinking rising grocery bills
As the cost of food in Canada has risen, grocery shoppers are looking at ways to reduce their grocery bill, and more are choosing price over beauty, turning to companies that deliver so-called 'misfit' produce at a fraction of the cost.
Vatican revamps norms to evaluate visions of Mary as it adapts to Internet age and combats hoaxers
The Vatican on Friday radically reformed its process for evaluating alleged visions of the Virgin Mary, weeping statues and other seemingly supernatural phenomena, insisting on having the final say in whether the events are worthy of popular devotion.
Wildfires are dampening against cool, rainy weather, but there's plenty left to contain
An opportune system of cool, wet weather Friday is dampening the spread of wildfires across Western Canada, but there's still plenty of work for responders and residents alike.
Jessica Biel hopes to normalize the conversation around menstruation with a new children's book
Jessica Biel is the author of a new children’s book focused on destigmatizing and normalizing the conversation around menstruation.
5 secrets to moving better and preventing avoidable injury
Countless people seek emergency care for back pain, muscle strains and similar injuries resulting from “moving wrong” during mundane, everyday tasks such as bending over to tie shoes, lifting objects or doing household chores.