'He’s going to run out of time': The campaign to find living kidney donor for Surrey father
Two years ago, as they were preparing to celebrate their 10-year wedding anniversary, Dave and Carla Jung got devastating news.
Dave, who has Type 2 diabetes and a family history of kidney problems, was told he urgently needed a kidney transplant. Since then, the Surrey father of two young boys has gotten progressively sicker.
“His last few years have been a lot of swelling, a lot of exhaustion, he coughs a lot, he’s tired, he has acid reflux,” said Carla, adding Dave now has less than five per cent kidney function. “So he has to have a transplant, or he’s going to run out of time.”
For Carla, it’s deja vu.
“I lost my dad waiting for a liver. So transplant is one of those things that is a huge fear for me. Because I know what it’s like to lose someone waiting for an organ that never came. So I can relate, and I don’t want my boys to go through what I went through.”
Dave’s illness has meant less time doing the things he loves with his two sons.
“He has always been a very hands-on dad when it came to teaching them how to fish or camping. So for him not to be able to do those things is hard not just on Dave, but my boys as well. Because they miss out on doing those things with their dad,” Carla said.
While the Jungs wait for Dave’s name to move to the top of B.C.’s kidney transplant list, Carla is doing everything she can to find her husband as living donor.
“I have put his face all over the internet I have put him on TikTok, I have put him on Facebook, I have put him on Instagram,” she said. “I have tried anything I can possibly think of.”
That includes reaching out to Scully White, the owner of Lully’s, a hot dog stand in Abbotsford. After donating a kidney to one of his customers, White began posting and promoting stories of Fraser Valley residents in need of living donors.
“We have never not succeeded. Every single person who has been on our list we have found a kidney for,” said White.
And Dave Jung’s story is about to be added to the list at Lully’s.
“We have spoken a few times his wife and I, and I’ve met Dave before, and we are going to be splattering his story all over Facebook and Instagram and hopefully a living donor steps forward to help save him,” said White.
“He has been really successful in finding the right people and getting the word out there,” said Carla. “All his hotdog stands will have a picture of (Dave), and hopefully the right person will see it and be drawn to donate.”
She’s also encouraging people to look into what’s involved in becoming a living kidney donor. “There are lots of programs that help with expenses for donation, and I feel like if there was more education of what donation looks like, that would be helpful.”
People interested in donating to a specific recipient can contact the BC Transplant program at Vancouver General or St Paul’s hospital. “In order to be tested for Dave specifically, they would just provide his name and his transplant ID number(#24894).”
Carla is hopeful the extra attention Dave will get by having his story featured at Lully’s will be the breakthrough he needs.
“Everything is riding on him getting a kidney. Life would change,” she said. “He would get so much freedom to actually live a life, rather than just existing.”
In the couple's bedroom, alongside boxes of dialysis equipment, are two duffle bags.
“These bags here are our hospital bags,” Carla explained. “We are packed, we are ready, we just need a call and a kidney, and then we are ready to go.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6972157.1721587842!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Joe Biden drops out of 2024 race, endorses Kamala Harris to be Democratic nominee
U.S. President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House on Sunday, ending his bid for re-election after doubts were raised about his fitness for office. Soon after, he endorsed Vice-President Kamala Harris to take his place in the November election.
Justin Trudeau reacts to Joe Biden announcing he won't run for re-election
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded to the news that U.S. President Joe Biden won’t run for re-election Sunday, calling Biden a 'true friend.'
Joe Biden wants to pass the baton to Kamala Harris. Here's how that might work
With U.S. President Joe Biden ending his re-election bid and endorsing Vice-President Kamala Harris, Democrats now must navigate a shift that is unprecedented this late in an election year.
The pilot who died in crash after releasing skydivers near Niagara Falls has been identified
NEW YORK (AP) — Officials on Sunday released the name of a pilot who died in a skydiving flight after her passengers jumped from the aircraft near the Niagara Falls.
Woman found dead in the water near Sunset Beach: Vancouver police
Investigators were at Vancouver’s Sunset Beach after a woman’s body was found in the water Sunday morning, according to authorities.
Ottawa man waiting nearly a year for car to be fixed at Acura dealership
An Ottawa man says he’s been waiting nearly a year for his car to be repaired after it was damaged during a storm in August.
Canadian musicians struggle to get visas to perform in the U.S., some cancel shows
Backlogs and processing delays of temporary U.S. visas required by entertainers, athletes and artists has forced some Canadian bands to cancel U.S. tour dates because paperwork wasn't processed in time.
Joy in Newfoundland after 'Lucky 7' fishers survive harrowing days lost at sea
There was a powerful word being repeated in the joyful Newfoundland community of New-Wes-Valley on Sunday: 'Miracle.'
A Florida woman was killed 24 years ago. DNA evidence just helped police make an arrest in the cold case
A Florida woman’s brutal killing nearly 25 years ago may finally be solved after authorities arrested the suspect this week, according to the Sanford Police Department.