The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

`It was emotional, we both knew what this meant' continued from p.16 riorated, Blane said, her brother became very thin and his energy always seemed to be drained. With time running out, King was looking at few options. He could go on dialysis while waiting up to 10 years to get a kidney from a deceased donor, or receive a kidney from a live donor. Blane said she told her brother she would help if she could and underwent eight months of testing to ensure she could safely make the donation. In November 2013, Blane was finally given the green light to proceed. Blane, who is married and has three children and one-step child, and works as a credit manager for Ryerson Canada, was told the surgery would take approximately four hours. Before the operation, she met with her brother at the hospital. "It was very emotional," she said. "Neither one of us could really put it into words. We just kind of patted each other and I went downstairs. It was emotional. We both knew what this meant." Ultimately, the surgery was a complete success with Blane stating it has been far easier to get through than she anticipated. She was released from hospital just two days later. Aside from some down time following the surgery, she said she has experienced no negative side effects from donating her kidney. The impact on King was nearly immediate. Blane said his colour improved 100 per cent, as did his health, almost drastically. "I am feeling pretty good on this 12th day post-operation," said King in an email. "It is a major surgery and so it will probably take six full weeks before I will be back in the gym and about three months until I go back to work full-time." King said his sister's decision to donate her kidney means everything to him as it will allow him to continue to lead a normal life. "I can contribute to my family and my community for many years to come, even live to see my grandchildren if I am ever so blessed. My sister's courageous and generous act has given me a second life," said King. "The alternative, dialysis, is a tough road. People who move from dialysis to transplant talk of `getting their lives back.' Thanks to my sister's incredible generosity, I didn't have to go through dialysis as mine was a proactive transplant." Blane is hopeful by sharing her story she will raise awareness of the importance of organ donation. She is encouraging residents to register as organ donors online at www.beadonor.ca in person at a ServiceOntario Centre or through the mail with a Gift of Life consent form. Oakville is home to the Oakville Be A Donor organization. This group of local residents has held numerous speaking events and challenges others to register as a donor after having a conversation about organ donation with their loved ones. "When you donate an organ, you are giving someone their life back. You are giving their family their dad back or their mom back," said Blane. "That's really the ultimate gift you can give to someone because if you don't have your health in life you really don't have anything." 17 | Thursday, March 20, 2014 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Audiology and Hearing Aid Centre Find out what your Neighbors already know! Did you know that 90% of our patients are referred by family, friends or neighbors. When you first move into a neighborhood, most people ask their neighbors which health professional they would recommend. The glowing reports by our current patients leads many new patients to our door. We are fair & competitive in our pricing, friendly and prompt, professional and caring. And although we don't like to boast, we do know that our office is unique in many of these qualities. We offer payment plans, price-matching, 2 week test drives and no charge follow up visits for the lifetime of the instruments Word of mouth speaks volumes. Trust who your neighbors trust. HEARING SCIENCES Call (905) 465-3277 (EARS) to book your complimentary hearing test ($60 value, Age 55+) If you've forgotten what fair, professional service feels like, call us and prepare to be amazed! Satisfaction guaranteed! OAKVILLE 2419 Marine Drive Exotic Wood Furniture & Rugs STORE CLOSING SALE 2501 Hampshire Gate, Unit 7B, Oakville · 905-829-0556 Mon to Wed 10:30-6:30 · Thurs to Fri 10:30-8:00 · Sat 10:30-6:00 · Sun 12:00-5:00 w w w. w o o d s e n s e i n t e r i o r s . c o m