Sister donates kidney to save brother’s life

By Ry Clarke - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on April 6, 2023.

Submitted photo Brittanie Hill stepped up as a living donor when her brother Chris Bigelow needed a kidney.

Siblings are known for the ruckus they cause in their youthful years from play fights to name calling, as parents know all too well. But siblings also form the strongest bonds that last throughout the years, coming together when family is needed and stepping up to the plate when a loved one is in need.

In southern Alberta, two siblings are showing their commitment to that love with the ultimate life lesson: sharing is caring.

On Feb. 1, Chris Bigelow received a kidney from his sister, Brittanie Hill. This was Bigelow’s second kidney donation, a first from a living donor. He received his first kidney transplant years ago in June, 2000.

Bigelow was born with kidney atrophy. This means kidneys are smaller than normal. The family found out when his parents noticed he was not developing like the other kids his age. They started taking him to doctors when he was eight-years-old.

When he was around the age of 12, it was determined he would need a new kidney. Put on peritoneal dialysis, Bigelow would wait around six months before getting the call for his transplant.

Told it would only last 10 to 15 years, Bigelow counts himself lucky he was able to get the extra miles out of it – 23 years since the transplant.

“I knew that I was going to have to get a new one eventually, but it lasted for a long time and I’m happy with how it lasted,” said Bigelow.

“The reason why it’s been 23 years since I had the first one is, typically, cadavers last 10 to 15 years. I got lucky it lasted 23 years; it was time to get a new one. My kidney just started failing.”

With complications starting in late 2019, Bigelow was monitored until his condition worsened enough to be put on the transplant list.

“It was early 2021 where they were like ‘OK, we are to the point where we can look into it now.’ So I started reaching out to family and friends, letting them know I’m eligible to get a new kidney,” said Bigelow.

It would be a couple of months before Bigelow would find out his sister was interested in donating when she moved back to Alberta to the town of Raymond.

“A few months went by, we were having a family dinner, and she’s like ‘Oh I’m gonna call and see if I can donate to you.’ I was blindsided, I wasn’t expecting that at all. She went through the process, got tested, everything came back looking good.”

Stepping up to give her brother a kidney, Hill says it wasn’t something huge, it was just ingrained in her mentality.

“My brother just kept declining, and eventually he was put on dialysis, he couldn’t work, and with his wife having MS, it was really difficult for their family,” said Hill.

“Every time I think of my brother and his attitude towards this, I think of Monty Python and the Black Knight saying ‘merely a flesh wound.’ That’s the kind of guy my brother is, he just pushes himself.”

Hill and Bigelow both say they had the typical sibling rivalry in their youth, coming together later in life to understand one another.

“Looking back from an adult perspective, I was such a jerk. Because I didn’t realize, from a kid mentality, that my brother was literally dying in front of me.” said Hill.

“Before donating they have to make sure that it is 100 per cent something I am willing to do, and I love the question of ‘Why? What is your reason for doing this?’ because all I put was ‘he’s my brother.'”

“As kids we didn’t have the greatest relationship. We would fight all the time. Then as we grew up and became adults, we kind of split and went our own ways. There wasn’t as much communication as before. It was unexpected that she was willing to do this, that was definitely a blessing for us,” said Bigelow.

“The biggest thing would be how grateful I am for my sister’s sacrifice. She has helped me out.”

April is a significant month for organ donation awareness in Lethbridge with April 7 designated as Green Shirt Day in honour of Logan Boulet and his legacy.

“She went out of her way to bless me and my family,” said Bigelow. “Right now, it’s going good, just taking it day-by-day.”