When making a life-altering decision about your health, you want the best healthcare team on your side. That’s why, in 2021, Peter Lamb chose Dr David Harriman and the Vancouver General Hospital Kidney Transplant team to help guide him through the process of deciding between dialysis and a kidney transplant.
“I didn’t like the thought of having to go on dialysis, so I got proactive and reached out to my contacts, asking for their help in finding me a living kidney donor,” says Peter.
After Jesse Agassiz – a brave volunteer from Peter’s network stood up and offered his kidney, the two started the long processes of testing to determine compatibility. To ensure the results were impartial and allowed for the best possible outcome, they each had their own separate teams completing the tests.
“After many weeks of rigorous testing, we finally got the call to say we were a match. We both celebrated, to say the least,” Peter recalls.
With a donor in place, Dr David Harriman joined the team as the lead transplant surgeon. His expertise, care and professionalism ensured that Peter felt comfortable with the entire transplant process. In June 2021, Peter and Jesse underwent the lifesaving surgery, which was successful for both men.
After a subsequent surgery in early 2022 to remove his diseased native kidneys, Peter is happily back to doing the things he loves, including a few rounds on the golf course and spending time with his kids and five grandchildren. “I am so thankful for this experience,” declares Peter. “The team was beyond excellent in terms of taking care of me as a patient. I can’t say enough about the professionalism and the way they delivered care to both myself and my donor.”
Pictured above: Dr. David Harriman and patients Peter Lamb & Jesse Agassiz
In response to the amazing commitment and care of all the staff and doctors performing kidney transplants at VGH, Peter has become an active member of the Urologic Sciences campaign cabinet via VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation. He is supporting the vision for a Centre for Kidney Transplantation so the team can reach their goal of “one transplant for life” – ensuring that the first transplant is the only transplant patients will ever need.
As a strong advocate for organ donation, Peter Lamb is championing VGH in its quest to attract more top talent to our province who can innovate and investigate solutions in ways never before imagined. With help from philanthropic partners, our scientists will be at the forefront of innovation: manufacturing novel drugs to prevent organ rejection, researching stem cell regeneration to eliminate major surgery, and creating original organ banking preservation strategies to increase transplantation rates.
VGH hopes to leverage its expertise to make the “one transplant for life” dream a reality, and philanthropic visionaries like Peter are helping the team realize this future.
Learn more about our Urologic Sciences campaign: vghfoundation.ca/urology.
