Wife plasters signs around Toronto seeking kidney for ailing husband

A wife’s quest to find a live kidney donor for her husband has made its way around Toronto.

Julia Rozen has placed signs on message boards throughout the city pleading with the public for a kidney donation after learning her husband Marcel would have to wait six to eight years to receive a kidney.

Marcel Rozen has needed a new kidney since he was diagnosed with kidney failure three years ago, but remains at the bottom of the transplant list. The 83-year-old undergoes dialysis for nine hours every night from home.

“All they tell you is that you will not get better, but you’ll get worse… there’s no real cure for it other than a transplant.” MArcel tells CityNews.

Both his wife, Julia, and his brother-in-law have applied to donate one of their kidneys, but sadly, they were not a match.

“It was very, very disheartening. That was probably the lowest moment,” Julia says.

Julia was inspired to reach out to the public after seeing an article about a man running a marathon in the United States that was in need of a kidney. The man wore a shirt stating that he needed help and his advertising was successful.

Since then, Julia has been posting signs across the city asking for a kidney.

“I pray, I pray that people will open up their hearts to help my husband,” Julia says.

The Kidney Foundation of Canada says in 2016, 260 Canadians died while waiting for a transplant. Around 4,500 Canadians were waiting for a transplant in 2016.

Marcel says he understands it is a hard decision to make, to have one of your organs removed.

But he has beaten the odds before; Marcel is a Holocaust survivor.

So far, they have only received one response, but it did not turn into anything concrete. The couple is hopeful that someone will help them.

If you would like to help Marcel and Julia, you can contact them at (416) 459-7889.