'It’s just a miracle': Saskatoon woman finds kidney donor after advertising search on her car
After months of driving around the city with an advertisement for a kidney donor on her bright red car, Debbie Onishenko will soon be able to rip off the decals as her search has ended.
Last summer CTV News Saskatoon published a story about Onishenko’s search, which caught the attention of Brent Kruger. He realized he had the same blood type as Onishenko and knew he had to reach out.
“It was clear to me that I had to do it. I would be very upset with myself if I didn’t at least try because if there was a chance that I was a match and I didn’t do it, I don’t think I could live with myself,” Kruger told CTV News.
Between August and January, Kruger says he had at least 40 vials of blood taken for tests, CT scans, MRIs, ultrasounds and more to see if he was healthy enough to donate a kidney.
He had only spoken to Onishenko over the phone until they ran into each other at St. Paul’s Hospital while they were doing some testing.
Saskatoon's Debbie Onishenko is getting creative in her search for a transplant donor. (Keenan Sorokan/CTV News)
“First thing we did was grab each other and hug. We stopped crying and it was amazing to actually meet him in person after just having talked over the phone or through messenger,” Onishenko said.
Kruger says he got the official call last week, receiving the good news that he was a match and a potential kidney donor for Onishenko.
“It’s just a miracle, you think with all the people that live in Saskatoon and there were only a couple few people that called about it. To find out that I actually had a match is unbelievable,” Onishenko said.
While surgery hasn’t been scheduled yet, the pair and their families have gotten to know each other and are well on their way to a lifelong friendship. Kruger says his wife and Onishenko share the same love for Harry Potter.
The pair hopes their story inspires other people to donate whatever they can to a person in need such as blood, plasma and bone marrow.
Onishenko says the experience has changed both their lives for the better.
“I didn’t expect it to have the impact on me that it did. I just went in it for Debbie,” said Kruger.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Advocate questions whether Air Canada has 'cultural problem' after issue with teen's wheelchair
Flying over the Grand Canyon was a highlight for the Gellisen family during their trip to Phoenix, but their flight home to Toronto was a much different experience, with several family members forced off of the flight over tensions related to a teen's wheelchair.
Military under fire as thousands of troops face lost cost-of-living allowance
The Canadian Armed Forces is under fire for its plan to cut thousands of troops off a cost-of-living allowance without much notice.
Essential oils and a secret code name: Things you didn't know about the coronation
King Charles III's coronation will be held on May 6 at London's Westminster Abbey. Here are some little-known facts about the ceremony:
Why lettuce prices are likely to rise again in Canada next month
Lettuce prices are likely to rise next month and could stay high into the summer, agriculture experts say, as flooding in a key California farming area becomes the latest example of extreme weather's effect on the food chain.
Police identify 16-year-old killed in 'unprovoked' stabbing at Toronto subway station
Police have identified a teenager who died after being stabbed in an ‘unprovoked’ attack at a Toronto subway station Saturday night, and have charged an adult male suspect with his murder.
'Reconciliation through art': Campaign aims to get an Indigenous woman on Canada's $20 bill
A new campaign is aiming to get an Indigenous woman honoured on the next $20 bill in Canada for the first time.
In Macron's France, streets and fields seethe with protest
In France, a country that taught the world about people power with its revolution of 1789 -- and a country again seething with anger against its leaders -- graduating from bystander to demonstrator is a generations-old rite of passage.
Is the David porn? Come see, Italians tell Florida parents
The Florence museum housing Michelangelo's Renaissance masterpiece the 'David' invited parents and students from a Florida charter school to visit after complaints about a lesson featuring the statue forced the principal to resign.
Singh 'not satisfied' with confidence-and-supply agreement
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he's 'not satisfied' with his party's confidence-and-supply agreement with the Liberals — signed a year ago this week — because it's shown him he could do a better job running the country than the current government.
Regina
-
Fifth flight of displaced Ukrainians set to touch down in Regina
A fifth and final flight of displaced Ukrainians will arrive in Saskatchewan on March 27, according to the province.
-
Sask. village loses arena in late night 'inferno'
The Village of Liberty is grieving the loss of its rink after it fell victim to a late night 'inferno' over the weekend.
-
'Be prepared to slow down': Construction on Highway 6 bridge in Regina set to begin
Construction efforts are expected to begin on the south section of Regina's Ring Road.
Winnipeg
-
Manitoba launches new park reservation system
Manitoba’s new park reservation system is launching on Monday.
-
‘When are we going to see action?’: The changes needed for Manitoba’s cannabis rules
Nearly five years after the legalization of marijuana in Canada, one local cannabis retailer feels Manitoba should be more proactive and flexible when it comes to regulating pot sales in our province.
-
Advocate questions whether Air Canada has 'cultural problem' after issue with teen's wheelchair
Flying over the Grand Canyon was a highlight for the Gellisen family during their trip to Phoenix, but their flight home to Toronto was a much different experience, with several family members forced off of the flight over tensions related to a teen's wheelchair.
Calgary
-
LIVE @ 11:45 A.M. MT
LIVE @ 11:45 A.M. MT | Ahead of Edmonton officers' funeral Monday, families thank Canadians for 'incredible outpouring of support'
The appreciation and respect shown by the public after two Edmonton Police Service officers were killed in the line of duty has not gone unnoticed, their families said in a statement ahead of the regimental funeral on Monday.
-
KLM flight en route to Calgary following detour back to Amsterdam due to unruly passenger
A KLM flight bound for Calgary was delayed Sunday morning when an unruly passenger forced the airline to return to Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam.
-
Calgary Flames sign 1st-round pick Matthew Coronato to entry level contract
The Calgary Flames have signed first-round draft pick Matthew Coronato to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Edmonton
-
LIVE @ 11:45 A.M. MT
LIVE @ 11:45 A.M. MT | Ahead of Edmonton officers' funeral Monday, families thank Canadians for 'incredible outpouring of support'
The appreciation and respect shown by the public after two Edmonton Police Service officers were killed in the line of duty has not gone unnoticed, their families said in a statement ahead of the regimental funeral on Monday.
-
What you need to know about the regimental funeral Monday
The procession for two Edmonton police officers who were killed in the line of duty is scheduled to leave the Alberta Legislature grounds toward Rogers Place at approximately 11:45 a.m.
-
Why lettuce prices are likely to rise again in Canada next month
Lettuce prices are likely to rise next month and could stay high into the summer, agriculture experts say, as flooding in a key California farming area becomes the latest example of extreme weather's effect on the food chain.
Toronto
-
Pedestrian dead after being hit by 2 cars in Mississauga
Police say one person is dead after a collision in a city west of Toronto shortly before midnight last night.
-
Police identify 16-year-old killed in 'unprovoked' stabbing at Toronto subway station
Police have identified a teenager who died after being stabbed in an ‘unprovoked’ attack at a Toronto subway station Saturday night, and have charged an adult male suspect with his murder.
-
Toronto set to make hybrid council meetings permanent
Toronto city councillors are set to make hybrid public meetings permanent.
Ottawa
-
Carleton University education workers on strike
About 3,000 education workers at Carleton University will strike on Monday after the union and the university failed to come to an agreement by the midnight deadline.
-
NEW THIS MORNING
NEW THIS MORNING | NHL commissioner in Ottawa to meet with officials, attend Senators game
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman will be in Ottawa today, with a schedule that includes meetings with Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and NCC officials, and attending the Senators game against the Florida Panthers.
-
NEW THIS MORNING
NEW THIS MORNING | New armed forces housing benefit won't help Petawawa troops, realtor warns
The Canadian Armed Forces is introducing a new housing benefit to help troops find affordable accommodations. A realtor says the benefit won't help military members in Petawawa, Ont.
Vancouver
-
Burial plots in Metro Vancouver are now so expensive, they're being compared to real estate
Burial plots have become such a hot commodity in Metro Vancouver, one spot in a Burnaby cemetery is being sold privately online for $54,000.
-
Nanny who was fired after cancer diagnosis awarded $45K in B.C. discrimination case
A temporary foreign worker from the Philippines who was fired from her job as a caregiver after a cancer diagnosis has been awarded over $45,000 by the BC Human Rights Tribunal.
-
Downtown Eastside crash sends 3 pedestrians to hospital
Three people were hospitalized after being hit by a car in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside Saturday evening, according to authorities.
Montreal
-
Nine-year-old girl succumbs to injuries after snow fort accident
A nine-year-old girl has died after a snow fort collapsed Sunday in the woods behind a Saint-Ubalde home, in the Portneuf RCM.
-
Montreal police confirm fifth body found in rubble of historic building fire
Montreal police say a fifth body has been extracted from the rubble of a heritage building that caught fire nine days ago, leaving two others still missing.
-
WEATHER
WEATHER | Montreal to get mixed bag of rainy conditions, temperatures to approach double digits
Montreal is expected to get a mixed bag of weather conditions this week as rainy, balmy days could come with temperatures approaching double digits.
Vancouver Island
-
Vancouver Island farmers struggle to deal with threatened elk species
Farmers in the Cowichan Valley are losing crops and dealing with property and field damage caused by Roosevelt Elk, which have become a regular fixture on some farms in the area.
-
Victoria police say repeat offender wanted again
Victoria police are once again looking for William Watts, who they describe as "a high risk to reoffend."
-
Lack of staff leads to more BC Ferries cancellations
BC Ferries cancelled several sailings because of a lack of crew Saturday, including two trips between Greater Victoria and the Lower Mainland.
Atlantic
-
RCMP cancels emergency alert for woman in Indian Brook, N.S.
An emergency alert involving “a dangerous female with a handgun” in Indian Brook, N.S., has been cancelled, police say.
-
HMCS Montreal departs Halifax for Indo-Pacific operation
A Royal Canadian Navy frigate departed Halifax today as part of the federal government's wider strategy of boosting its presence in the Indo-Pacific region.
-
P.E.I. Green Party wasn't ready for election, may lose seats from 2019: experts
As the Prince Edward Island election approaches its final week, the Green Party is fighting to hold onto its historic gains from the last provincial vote -- a battle some experts say could result in lost seats.
Northern Ontario
-
Has inflation increased your debt?
Inflation is now forcing some Canadians to find different ways to afford day-to-day expenses.
-
Military under fire as thousands of troops face lost cost-of-living allowance
The Canadian Armed Forces is under fire for its plan to cut thousands of troops off a cost-of-living allowance without much notice.
-
Hwy. 17 partially closed north of the Sault due to a commercial motor vehicle crash
A crash involving a commercial vehicle north of the Sault has completely closed Highway 17 from Highway 101 East in Wawa, Ont. to Frater Road before noon Sunday, the eastbound lane reopened around 7p.m.
London
-
BREAKING
BREAKING | Suspicious death in London now deemed a homicide
The victim of a suspicious death in London over the weekend has been identified and police have now deemed the incident a homicide.
-
Two people rescued from Thames River
London fire crews made a rescue in frigid waters on Sunday, saving two people after their kayak capsized in the Thames River
-
E-Bike battery causes $50,000 fire: LFD
Damage is estimated at $50,000 after a residential fire in London on Sunday. Crews were called to the scene on Rideout Street early Sunday morning that temporarily displaced several people from their units.