Local woman uses ad space to find a live-saving donor

Andrea Mackinaw was only a baby when her doctors diagnosed her with chronic kidney failure. Treatment for kidney failure, commonly referred to as dialysis, was physically taxing and not sustainable for an otherwise healthy girl. Andrea was put onto a waiting list when she became an adult to hopefully receive a kidney transplant when a compatible donor became available. She waited on that list for over three years. With no end in sight, Andrea decided to remove herself from the waiting list.

In October 2019, Andrea’s spark to be cured was reignited. A classmate of Andrea’s came up with the idea of posting advertisements for kidney donors all over the city. The pair began by creating a Facebook page called Kidney4Andrea. After that they purchased a poster advertisement on the Southgate and Churchill LRT platforms. The posters display a photograph of Andrea and ask for potential donors to contact her by phone. The pair’s next goal is to purchase a billboard in north Edmonton, along a high-traffic street such as Saint Albert Trail or the Yellowhead freeway.

“It would mean a lot to me to get a kidney so that I can travel. Most of all I just want to be healthy,” said Andrea, who spent over $3,000 on dialysis treatments when she travelled to Hawaii last summer.

Since posting the advertisements at Southgate and Churchill Stations, Andrea has received a dozen phone calls from potential donors. The callers will have to meet certain requirements to ensure compatibility such as weight, height, overall health and blood type.

Andrea is excited that she has found so many potential donors and is incredibly thankful to the generosity of Edmontonians.

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