'Joe is just a hero': Four-year-old LaSalle boy gets kidney transplant from stranger
A Windsor man is giving up a piece of himself to save a young boy’s life, but up until recently, the pair had never met.
Joe Marchand successfully underwent transplant surgery Friday in Toronto, donating his kidney to four-year-old Carson Hillier.
“Anxious would be my biggest description for how I’m feeling today, but I’m excited for the future,” says Carson’s mother, Megan Hillier. “I’m not excited for this moment per say, but I’m excited for what this will bring for our future.”
Carson was born with what’s called posterior urethral valves, which caused damage to his kidneys. He now has stage 5 kidney disease and was in desperate need of a new one.
And then along came Joe Marchand.
“We didn’t know Joe before this,” says Ryan Hillier, Carson’s father, noting Joe Marchand was a total stranger, their only connection being the fact that their kids went to the same daycare.
When Marchand learned about Carson’s need through the daycare, he was tested and confirmed as a match.
On Friday afternoon, one of Marchand’s kidneys was successfully harvested and sent to Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto where it’s being transplanted into Carson.
“At the end of the day, Joe is just a hero from the community who has given us the best gift that we could ask for,” says Megan Hillier.
As the family waits for the procedure to wrap up and rehab to begin, the story of Marchand’s selflessness has spread to both Carson’s brother’s school -- LaSalle Public School — and Marchand’s kids’ school, Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
“There’s a lot of superheroes in our world… but this is a different level of superhero,” says Our Lady of Mount Carmel principal, Anna Mancini. “It was such a selfless and beautiful gesture on his part, so we wanted to bring attention to it.”
Students at both schools, as well as the daycare which made the connection, wore green in support of transplant awareness.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Bus plunges off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people. An 8-year-old child is only survivor
A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Calgary bridges remain closed due to ongoing police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
Kinew, Poilievre meet at Manitoba legislature, discuss each other's priorities
Premier Wab Kinew and federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre met at the Manitoba legislature Thursday afternoon.
Rainfall warnings of up to 80 mm among weather alerts in effect for 6 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres and other alerts have been issued for six Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.