John P. Allen is a six-time Juno Award-winning member of the country band Prairie Oyster. The group’s innovative sound and catchy tunes captured audiences worldwide, allowing them to perform alongside legends such as Kenny Rogers, Ian and Sylvia's Great Speckled Bird, Gordon Lightfoot, Tommy Hunter and John McDermott. Inducted into both the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame and the London Forest City Music Hall of Fame, Prairie Oyster has been recognized for their unparalleled contributions to the music industry, elevating Canadian country music to international acclaim.
John was born in London and raised on a farm that has been in his family for seven generations. He comes from a musically gifted family, and together they formed the Allen Family Reunion, a band that enchanted audiences with bluegrass music at festivals throughout the early '80s. Trained classically on the violin, John found his true calling in country and folk music as a fiddler. His talent carried him around the world, performing in every province and territory in Canada and 29 American states. He even toured Europe, the Middle East, Africa and China.
Despite his global adventures, John still calls his London family farm his home today.
In September 2018, the Allen Family Reunion was invited to Northern Ireland to represent Canada at an international music festival. During this trip, John noticed he was getting unusually fatigued. Upon returning home, his condition worsened during a tour with The Good Brothers.
"I was struggling with shortness of breath and knew I was in trouble," he recalls. “I was really nervous and stressed about not knowing what was wrong with me.”
He then went to see his family doctor and nurse practitioner, who ordered an echocardiogram. This revealed a potential case of AL amyloidosis, a rare and difficult-to-diagnose condition causing rogue proteins in the blood. In John’s case, these proteins settled in his heart. Hematologist Dr. Martha Louzada joined his care team and John underwent weeks of outpatient chemotherapy to eliminate these abnormal proteins.
A heart biopsy later confirmed that he was experiencing heart failure due to the condition. In August 2019, cardiologist Dr. Ryan Davey admitted John to University Hospital (UH) for further tests to determine if he was a candidate for a heart transplant. During his second day at the hospital, he experienced two cardiac arrests—dying twice.
"The team was able to save my life because I was only metres away from the cardiac surgery intensive care unit,” John reflects. “If this had happened anywhere else, I wouldn’t have made it."
He spent the rest of August and September recovering, waiting and hoping for a transplant match. He had an incredible support team, with his wife Wendy, family and friends rallying around him. On the evening of September 27, 2019, Dr. Dave Nagpal, cardiac surgeon, announced a donor heart had been found.
While being prepared for surgery, he remembers a large rainbow filled the sky. He believed it couldn’t be anything but a good sign. The surgery was a success, and four and a half years later, John is thriving. He has two beautiful grandchildren and has started playing the fiddle again.
"It is not lost on me that while our family was blessed with this miracle, another family was grieving a terrible loss,” John shares. “We will be forever grateful for their unselfish gift of life.”
John is a passionate advocate for transplant awareness. He serves as a committee member with New Canvas of Life, working tirelessly to promote the importance of organ donation.
“Here in London, a medium-sized city in southwestern Ontario, we are fortunate to have one of the finest transplant centres in Canada, if not the world. The innovations, breakthroughs and advancements that happen here are truly amazing. LHSC punches well above its weight.”