To help raise awareness during Living Donation Week 2025 (September 7–13), sisters Isabelle Flett and Tamara Beardy of Tataskweyak Cree Nation in northern Manitoba shared their story of courage, faith, and family. Their journey shines a light on the life-changing gift of living kidney donation. 

A sister’s gift leads to a second chance at life

Isabelle Flett never noticed symptoms of kidney disease until she became pregnant in her 30s. The pregnancy brought her illness to the surface, and her health quickly declined. She did everything she could to slow the disease’s progression, including eating well and living a healthy lifestyle.  

She became a Christian, attended church, prayed, and was determined to maintain a positive outlook on life. But by 2009, her kidneys were failing. Without a transplant, she would need dialysis to survive.  

“I had too many things—too many miracles in my life—and I kept my faith.  I just knew I was going to live,” Isabelle says. 

She was determined to avoid dialysis, which takes a heavy physical and emotional toll. The best option was a transplant from a living donor.  

The gift of time and health

Isabelle’s sister, Tamara Beardy, had attended nearly every one of Isabelle’s medical appointments and wanted to donate her kidney, but at the time Tamara was pregnant and therefore not eligible. Other loved ones stepped forward, and after 18 months of testing, a match was found, and the surgery was scheduled.  

On the day of the surgery, the donor changed their mind, leaving Isabelle on the operating table with no kidney to receive and Tamara fearing for her sister’s life. 

In that moment of despair, Tamara says she experienced a powerful vision: a large protective dome surrounding the two sisters. She felt it was a sign from God and knew what she was meant to do.  

Soon after, Tamara underwent testing to see if she could donate a kidney to her sister. “The first test we did, we began to see the miracles,” she says. “After testing our blood, we were a perfect match.” 

Not only were the sisters a perfect match, but they also had a very successful surgery. While transplanted kidneys can sometimes take days or even weeks to start functioning, Tamara’s kidney began working immediately in Isabelle’s body.  

By the time Isabelle awoke from surgery, some of her symptoms had already disappeared.  

Living life to the fullest

After their recovery, the sisters marked the milestone with their first-ever trip to the ocean, travelling together to Cuba. For Isabelle, the trip was especially meaningful, since a doctor had once told her she would never be able to travel if she were on dialysis.  

“I’ve actually been travelling a lot since I’ve had the transplant and just living life,” says Isabelle, who has even run marathons with her sister. “[The transplant] has given me a second chance, and I don’t take that for granted. I just try to do everything.”  

Tamara adds: “If you have the ability to prolong life and to give a gift of time, it’s a beautiful thing to be part of.” As a living kidney donor, she understands that the process can seem scary from the outside, but she likes to focus on the benefits and let people know that the process was neither hard nor scary for her, and you can live a healthy life with one kidney—addressing a common misconception that can deter potential donors. 

According to the University Health Network’s (UHN) Centre for Living Organ Donation, a living donor who gives a kidney might be hospitalized for three to five days and can return to work as early as three to six weeks after surgery. 

Advocating for better health for all  

As Living Donation Week reminds us, one decision can transform a life. Since embarking on this journey together, the sisters have become strong advocates for living donation and kidney health.  

Isabelle works as a community nurse and uses her experience to bring compassion and understanding to patients facing similar health challenges. Tamara shares her story as a living donor through Can-SOLVE CKD’s patient-oriented research network to help improve kidney care. She also contributes to the Indigenous Peoples’ Engagement and Research Council, advancing a wide range of initiatives focused on supporting Indigenous people living with kidney disease.  

Patient partners and sisters Isabelle Flett (l.) and Tamara Beardy (r.) in front of the Tree of Life at Transplant Manitoba.

Given that Indigenous people are two to four times more likely to experience kidney disease than the general population in Canada, the need for more culturally relevant and respectful resources and support is high. 

Tamara hopes her journey encourages other First Nations people to ask questions in the doctor’s office and advocate for themselves and their families. “Our First Nations people face a lot of [challenges] in the health care system, and it’s important just to remember to be kind and to spread hope,” she says. “A report from the doctor is not always a death sentence.”  

Why living donation matters 

According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, around 3,000 people across Canada are currently waiting for a kidney transplant. Living kidney donation offers the best outcomes: recipients often live longer, healthier lives compared to dialysis or deceased donor transplants, and wait times are shorter when a living donor is found. Yet misconceptions and systemic barriers mean that many people—especially from Indigenous, Black, and other racialized communities—struggle to access this life-saving option. 

Campaigns like Living Donation Week are an opportunity to increase awareness and understanding of living organ donation and its benefits and encourage more people to consider becoming donors.  

To hear Isabelle’s story in her own voice, you can watch this video, created for UHN’s Great Actions campaign.