An Orillia man has given a close friend his life back after making a selfless sacrifice.
Duane Dunn and Sean Montgomery have known each other for almost a decade through Cheer Sport Sharks. Dunn's daughters, Maddison and Mackenna, compete at the Orillia gym with Montgomery's daughter, Ellery.
The two fathers help out behind the scenes at Cheer Sport Sharks. They can often be found making small repairs and picking up equipment for the athletes.
"Usually, if they need something fixed, they call one of us," Montgomery said. "It's kind of like our second home."
Dunn and Montgomery spend six nights a week at the gym, which has allowed them to get to know each other and develop a friendship.
When Dunn was 10 years old, he started developing kidney issues. He would frequently get strep throat, and it led to a kidney infection.
"The family doctor at the time didn't see the point in having my tonsils removed," he said. "I just dealt with it for years, and then as soon as I switched family doctors, she got me in to see an ears, nose and throat specialist."
Once Dunn had his tonsils removed, he had a kidney biopsy that revealed he had post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis, which destroyed his kidneys.
Two years ago, Dunn, 48, says his health took a turn for the worse and his kidneys were not functioning.
"I've been doing dialysis for almost two years," he said. "Getting a kidney replacement has been on the books for four or five years."
Montgomery, 49, decided to step up and offer a kidney to Dunn.
"I told him to give me the information and I'd look into it," he said. "That was in late February, and since then I've been doing a bunch of tests."
In late August, Montgomery and Dunn were given the green light and two weeks' notice to undergo surgery to complete the kidney transplant.
"I've always donated blood and he was looking for a kidney, so I thought it was just the next step," Montgomery said. "I was raised seeing my grandparents always doing things for other people, so I guess I just take after them."
Dunn says he has no words to describe Montgomery's selflessness.
"It goes above and beyond anything," he said. "There aren't enough people willing to do living donorship, but he stepped up."
Montgomery says he never hesitated about doing the surgery. It was always "the right thing to do."
"Sure, my kidney functions might be down a little bit," he said, "but I can still live a normal life with no dietary restrictions or anything."
Dunn says Montgomery's donation gave him his "life back."
"Now I'm not spending four hours a night, three nights a week in the hospital doing dialysis," he said. "It gives me some freedom back with my diet because the kidney problem I had wasn't filtering out what it should."
Montgomery says it will be rewarding for him to watch Dunn see his daughters grow up.
"It provides that extended life that he might not have had," he said.
"It's basically the gift of life," Dunn added.
More information about becoming a living organ donor can be found here.
