A Second Chance at Life

When James “Scott” Wilson was rushed to the hospital in 2023 with end-stage liver failure, he knew his time was running out. As Scott’s condition worsened, the hardest part was imagining his children growing up without him.

For patients living with end-stage organ failure, time is often measured in days or weeks. Scott’s only hope was a transplant, yet the demand for donor organs far exceeds the supply. Across Canada, for every patient who receives a life-saving transplant, many more remain on the waiting list. For those who do receive a donor organ, it represents the possibility of a future once thought out of reach.

At University Health Network (UHN), the goal is to close this gap so that more patients can receive a second chance at life.

Keeping hope through moments of darkness

When Scott was diagnosed with compensated liver disease in 2022, he was determined to stay strong for his children. Together, they had already faced heartbreak after the sudden loss of his husband several years earlier. But by 2023, the disease had progressed to liver failure, leaving him critically ill. Receiving a liver transplant was his last chance.

“I couldn’t bear the thought of my children losing another parent,” says Scott.

In an urgent attempt to find a living donor, Scott launched a social media campaign that also caught the attention of national television. His sister volunteered, but she was not a match. As his condition worsened, he feared he would have to prepare his children for a future without him.

Transplant eligibility depends on being sick enough to qualify but healthy enough to survive surgery. The unfortunate reality is that many patients deteriorate while waiting and may be too ill when a donor organ becomes available.

Just when it seemed that hope was gone, Scott got the call: a deceased donor liver had become available. Within 24 hours, he was in surgery at Toronto General Hospital. Scott’s life was saved by the generosity of an organ donor and the expert care of the transplant team at UHN’s Ajmera Transplant Centre.

“The moment I got that call, it meant life,” he recalls. “It meant my children would still have me.”

Transforming lives through surgery and support

Thanks to the expertise of his surgeon, Dr. Blayne Sayed, and the dedicated transplant team at UHN, Scott came through the operation successfully. Today, he is back home, grateful for every day he gets to spend with his children.

UHN’s Ajmera Transplant Centre is home to one of the biggest liver transplant programs in North America, performing 209 transplants in 2024. The program’s success is rooted in its highly skilled surgical team and the strong support network that surrounds each patient, including nurses, coordinators and specialists who guide them through every step of the journey. Scott experienced this first-hand during his recovery and often speaks about the compassion and professionalism that helped him heal.

Every donor surgery at the Centre is treated with the utmost care and respect, reflecting the extraordinary nature of the gift. The Ajmera Transplant Centre’s commitment to safety ensures that each procedure meets the highest standards of care, just as Scott experienced during his life-saving transplant.

“Transplantation is the pinnacle of what we can do as clinicians, taking some of the sickest patients and transforming their health and their lives,” says Sayed. “None of it is possible without generosity, whether it’s an organ donor who gives the gift of life or a financial donor who fuels the innovation and care that make transplantation possible. Both forms of giving inspire me every day, and both give families more time together.”

Expanding access to life-saving transplants

Living donor liver transplants are the preferred treatment for liver failure, offering earlier intervention and better long-term outcomes. UHN’s Ajmera Transplant Centre is a global leader in living donor liver transplants. Since  2000, its living donor liver transplant program has given more than 1,000  adults and 300 children a second chance at life—the highest numbers of any program in North America.

To further expand access, UHN established the Centre for Living Organ Donation in 2018. The only program of its kind in Canada, it is dedicated to improving access to life-saving kidney and liver transplants, supporting donors and ensuring more patients can receive the care they need.

However, most liver donations in Canada come from deceased donors, and the need for viable organs always exceeds the number available for transplant. In 2023, 15 per cent of Canadians waiting for a liver transplant died before receiving one—a higher mortality rate than any other transplanted organ.

“Getting a transplant is like having a chance to start life over. That’s why we’re pushing to increase the number of livers available for transplants, because wait list mortality is still far too high,” says Dr. Deepali Kumar, director of UHN’s Ajmera Transplant Centre.

To achieve this goal, UHN is shaping the future of transplant medicine by implementing innovative techniques such as ex vivo organ perfusion. This groundbreaking technology keeps organs alive outside the body and allows surgeons to assess, repair and transplant organs that would previously have been discarded. The lung transplant program at UHN pioneered the development  and use of ex vivo lung perfusion, and the liver and kidney transplant teams, under the direction of Dr. Markus Selzner, have been early adopters of the technology. Research is also underway to bring ex vivo heart technology to clinical use at UHN.

Each year, organs treated with ex vivo reach more patients, offering new hope and improved outcomes. At UHN, almost 90 livers once considered unusable or too high risk have been successfully transplanted into patients, saving the lives of Canadians in desperate need—including Scott Wilson. His donor liver was treated with ex vivo perfusion before transplantation, making his surgery possible. “Thanks to advanced technologies, we’re now able to repair and transplant livers that wouldn’t have been viable before, reducing the number of wait list deaths,” says Kumar. “This is bringing us closer to a future where every patient has access to the transplant they need.”

These transformative health care breakthroughs do not happen without donor support, which funds the research, technology and training needed to turn promising ideas into life-saving solutions. Donor-funded research made the development of ex vivo perfusion technology possible, provides long-term support for patients and families and helps train the next generation of transplant specialists and researchers. Donor support allows UHN to advance care globally while directly improving outcomes for patients like Scott and their loved ones.

Living with gratitude

For Scott, life after transplant has been filled with family moments that he once feared missing. From the simple pleasures of gardening, family dinners and baseball games to the joy of watching his children grow, Scott is grateful for every day that his donor and transplant made possible.

“Every day is a gift,” he says. “From celebrating holidays to simply getting out of bed, I know how lucky I am. Even the aches and pains of aging are just signs that I’m still alive.”

Determined to give back, Scott now focuses on advocacy, education and raising awareness about the power of organ donation. He shares his story to honour his donor and inspire others to register and give the ultimate gift of life.

“The whole point is to keep giving back,” Scott says. “I am so grateful to be running my daily marathon of life. As is. Better  than ever.”

Learn more about how we’re transforming surgical care to help patients like Scott at UHNfoundation.ca/talent.