Sask. resident with terminal kidney disease 'devastated' after transplant delayed due to COVID-19

Early last week a Saskatoon woman with terminal kidney disease was full of hope. She had a live organ donor and had been told her surgery was just around the corner. 

In fact, 35-year-old Jessica Bailey was waiting for a call about her surgery date on Sept. 23, when the province announced it was suspending its organ donation program due to surging COVID-19 cases.

"So instead of getting happy news, I got devastating news. It's basically like being told you're going to get your life back. And then it gets ripped out from underneath you. So, devastating, I guess, is kind of putting it mildly," said Bailey.

"Living with kidney disease is not an easy thing. I don't think people know the half of it, to be honest. It's a lot to deal with mentally, emotionally, and it's physically draining."

Bailey first found out she had kidney disease in June 2018. Since then she lost her job, lost her house due to financial strain, and has to undergo 10 hours of painful dialysis each day. 

But in October 2020, Bailey found out her best friend's husband's blood type matched hers. And he wanted to give her a kidney. 

Jason Anderson has known Bailey since they were 17. He says the decision to donate a kidney to his close friend was a very easy one. But the road to surgery has been a long one so far.