“Dave saved my life,” Keith Lavergne says. His voice flutters with appreciation but it doesn’t crack.
The house in LaSalle is bustling with people. He and his wife, Leanne, are all smiles as they introduce their three daughters and one granddaughter who plays at being shy but that quickly wears off. Another individual, suited, straight-backed with long white hair brought into a loose ponytail offers a firm handshake and a jovial greeting. This is Dave, and indeed, there is much to smile about.
When Keith went in for a routine check-up with his family doctor in 2014, his blood pressure was a staggering 230/165. After about six months of tests, it was eventually revealed Keith was experiencing end stage kidney failure. There was no choice but dialysis.
“Being on dialysis for an extended period of time really beats you down,” Keith says. You can see the memory of his experience wash over him. “But the worst was meeting some of the people and getting to know them, then one day, they’re not there anymore, and you just know.”
Keith needed a kidney transplant and was acutely aware that because of his age he may need a second one down the road. And since the longevity of an organ is dependent on whether it comes from a deceased versus living donor, he was encouraged to begin looking for the latter. So, in a rare display of vulnerability, Keith took to social media, laying bare his situation in a group chat of nearly 100 family members. When Keith’s cousin, Dave, learned of his condition, he didn’t hesitate.
“It was an easy decision to donate my kidney,” Dave says. “It was the right thing to do.”
And in August 2019, Keith received a new kidney from his cousin, Dave. With the procedure led by visionary surgeon, Dr. Alp Sener, the Lavergnes were overcome with gratitude. Thankful for the expertise and attention to detail throughout their care at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), they did some investigating of their own, learning all they could about Dr. Sener’s pioneering research into organ preservation. They wanted to help; they just didn’t quite know how.
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After much thought and deliberation, they decided upon a transformational gift of $1 million to establish The Keith and Leanne Lavergne and Family Chair in Urology. A division consisting of some 14 faculty covering areas of adult and pediatric urology, which includes oncology, endourology, minimally invasive surgery and robotics, andrology, functional urology/reconstruction, surgical education and transplantation, the new chair position will have the means to elevate the department to an international centre of excellence. As the inaugural chair holder, Dr. Sener says he and his team are humbled by the Lavergnes’ generosity and are committed to being exceptional stewards of their gift. For the Lavergnes, they say they’re just getting started.
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