Roller-skiing brothers say "thank you"

Camrose pair rolling across Canada to thank organ donors

By RENATO GANDIA
WCR Staff Writer
Sudbury, Ont.

Jennie contracted a virus that destroyed 98 per cent of her liver and needed an organ donor. An anonymous donor saved the life of Jennie, who will enter Grade 10 in the fall.

Not only did she survive that crisis, she is now six feet tall, plays sports and the trumpet, and is heavily involved in

4-H horse and steer clubs in her school in Camrose.

To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Jennie's transplant, her family wanted to do something to honour the organ donor's family.

Mike came up with the idea of roller skiing across Canada to raise awareness about the unsung heroes in the country. They called the initiative Thanks 100 Times Over.

Roller skiing 110 kms a day, Mike, 24, and Tim Ross, 22, will have covered most of Canada when they reach Newfoundland on Aug. 6 in time for the opening of the Transplant Games in St. John's.

In their stops at various points, the two give presentations about organ donation and transplantation. Donor families and recipient families join them and share their own stories.

"The connections that we've been making with other families who have been touched by transplantation and with people, who helped organize this, has just been incredible," Tim said in an interview on their way to Sudbury, July 5.

In every city and town that they rolled through they realized there were many stories waiting to be told.

"We refer to donor-families as hero-families, because their stories are really hero stories."

Mike remembered how emotional their presentations got when they first started. "We'd see these people and we're up there saying 'thank you' to them. And they're all of a sudden reminded that horrible time when they lost someone. That was really difficult."

Organ donors range from healthy people to people who died in an accident to those who died of sickness but have healthy organs.

"It wouldn't be the same if Jennie hadn't been around." - Mike Ross

"Presentations have been emotional as people recall their loved ones. And often they would say, 'At least something good came out of something so bad.'"

Tim says, "I guess initiating this is just a first step. I really hope that this would inspire others to get out there and do the same thing, thanking these families for their decision."

One April weekend in 2001, the Rosses, a Catholic family from St. Francis Xavier Parish, had a terrific time together in Calgary.

They were grateful they are still a family of six. "It wouldn't be the same if Jennie hadn't been around," Mike said.

They began to discuss how to thank the family that donated the liver that kept Jennie alive.

But because all organ donation is anonymous, the chance to thank donor families is slim. The brothers believe donors should be recognized publicly because of the incredible impact they have.

"We don't know the family that saved Jennie and I don't know if they'll ever know how important it was to us," said Tim.

The thought that there are so many other families that have been touched by transplants in the same way kept coming back to the Ross Family.

Parents Rod and Shelagh, with their children, came to the conclusion that donor families don't get the recognition they deserve.

"We want to find a way to thank them. We can write letters and such but we need to say thank you publicly."

Their search for a way ended when Mike thought of roller skiing all across Canada on the tenth anniversary of Jennie's transplant.

Both brothers struggled to find what it means to them that their sister is still alive.

Mike said, "That's a difficult question. I don't even know where to start to answer that. It's the best thing in the world."

Tim added, "I think that's a kind of question you can't answer."

Tim recalled his sister went rapidly "from (being) a happy little girl to (being) a little girl in need of help, which was pretty tough." Teenagers themselves at that time, they didn't know the seriousness of the situation but wondered why was she so sick.

They picked the perfect summer because the Canadian Transplant Games will be held in Newfoundland.

Mike, who recently finished college at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S., noted there have been ups and downs in the journey across Canada. But for the most part it's been terrific.

Tim, who attended St. Thomas University in Fredericton, emphasized, "We are picking up steam as we go through. We're now connecting with ski clubs and bike clubs."

Skiers and cyclists join them for 10 to 15 kms before they arrive in some cities and escort them to the city hall where a presentation is often made.

The trip came together in a span of three weeks although it was planned for a year in advance.

The trip is made possible through the help of various transplant organizations and corporate sponsors.

A chronicle of the journey can be found on the Web at www.thanks100timesover.ca.

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