An Ottawa man living with progressive non-alcoholic cirrhosis says he needs a closely matched living liver donor because his waitlist position may not be enough.
The Story
Philip Vanwissen, an Ottawa resident and OC Transpo driver, says his options for survival have narrowed as his stage-four liver disease has progressed to the point where he needs a liver transplant sooner than the waitlist can reasonably provide.
His wife, Wendy Hayes, says his diagnosis began years earlier. In 2016, Vanwissen was diagnosed with non-alcoholic cirrhosis, a condition in which permanent scarring affects the liver’s ability to function, including filtering toxins from the body.
Hayes says the disease did not initially make everyday life impossible. She described Vanwissen’s health as still “compensated,” meaning his liver was managing enough that he could continue normal routines while travelling with her, camping with children in Scouts Canada and volunteering, as well as hiking in Gatineau Park.
After routine blood work raised concerns, she says the situation only changed significantly once they had access to a new physician. By 2025, Vanwissen’s condition decompensated, which Hayes described as the point when the liver stopped functioning well enough to maintain earlier levels of health.
With decompensation, the couple reports symptoms that include fluid building up in the abdomen and requiring drainage about every two weeks. Hayes also says the pressure on his body makes it harder to speak and take deep breaths, and that changes in cognition have become more noticeable as toxins build up.
In the course of the decline, Vanwissen was eventually assessed as sick enough to be placed on the liver transplant registry. However, after a consultation with a surgeon in Toronto, Hayes said the couple was told that a living liver transplant offers the best chance, because waiting for a deceased-donor liver may not be feasible given the severity of his illness.
The central issue is that not every organ is treated the same way in transplant systems, and livers differ in an important biological respect. Because liver tissue can regenerate, a living donation can involve a portion of healthy liver that can grow to support the recipient.
Hayes says the specialist framed the decision in stark terms, explaining that progression and transplant triage timing could mean Vanwissen would not live long enough to reach a deceased-donor liver under the hierarchy used to allocate the next available surgeries.
Vanwissen and Hayes say they are trying to raise awareness about the possibility of living donation because many families may not know that it can be an alternative route when a patient is nearing the threshold for deteriorating beyond transplant eligibility.
The couple’s search depends on finding someone who can safely donate and who is an exact match. They note that eligible donors are not defined by age alone: prospective donors generally must be between 16 and 60, and must not have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, a history of cancer, a history of heart problems, or a large body mass index that would make donation unsafe.
They also say the first step for potential donors is an online form, with the practical obstacle for many families being remembering a person’s blood type. Hayes says the couple already reached out to friends and family, but not all can participate due to eligibility requirements.
The couple pointed to the broader context of organ shortages in Canada, including the number of people who die while waiting for transplants. They also referenced Canadian Institute for Health Information figures indicating that thousands remain on transplant waitlists and that hundreds need livers.
Hayes also described the financial burden question for living donors, saying that in Ontario there are no out-of-pocket medical expenses for donors. She said she continues to seek “the perfect match,” while emphasizing that many potential donors may be motivated by the chance to share their health.
← More stories