OUTLOOK — Local resident Mike Johnson may just be a walking testament to the power of hope, prayer and community support.
The Broderick man, who lives at home with his parents Barry and Jane, underwent a remarkable medical journey that saw him gifted with a new kidney and pancreas in September of last year, and in the time since then, Johnson has enjoyed something of a new lease on life.
“This guy right here; he’s living the life right now that I prayed for his whole life,” said teary-eyed mom Jane.
Johnson, 41, had already been living a life with its own set of daily challenges, notably with diabetes, but it was in 2022 when things started taking another turn and Mike’s body was telling him and his family that something had to be done.
After learning that his kidney was diminishing, Mike was put on dialysis for just over a year. In the meantime, a litany of tests were done on him. Blood work was being done on a constant basis because if something were to develop over the course of time, that would mean that Mike would be removed from the waiting list prior to surgery. Jane explained that none of it was ever comfortable for Mike – he couldn’t move around in bed, and even getting a good night’s sleep was next to impossible.
After serving time on the list and waiting for that elusive phone call, the Johnsons finally got it in 2024 and it wasn’t long before Mike and Jane were in Edmonton prepping for his surgery, which was both a kidney and pancreas transplant that would be performed simultaneously.
Of course, being a parent, fear played a big part in Jane’s mind as Mike started on this medical journey full of questions and perhaps too many unknowns.
“I think for any parent that has to go through that, it’s terrifying,” said Jane. “And it was just me by myself up in Edmonton because Barry was still working for the potato farm and had to stay home. I think what made it very scary was that it was so quick. I mean, we knew, they told us, and we had bags packed and sitting by the door. And when you get the call, you only have time to grab the bags and get there. That’s exactly what it was like. The phone rang and they said, ‘We have a kidney and a pancreas for Mike. You have to leave now. There’s a jet waiting for you in Saskatoon.’ And so we did. It was go time.”
Despite the couple of years that Mike had to wait to have such a surgery, Jane didn’t necessarily see such a timeframe as a negative. She highlights the fact that approximately 4,500 people at any given time are waiting for a new kidney, heart, lung and pancreas transplant in Canada, and to her, the fact that her son was selected at all to finally undergo such a lifesaving procedure is nothing short of a miracle.
Mike says he was relieved to hear the news that he was set to receive the transplants.
“I just said, ‘Well, I’ll have to work hard to ensure that I’m around for it,'” he said. “Of course, you have certain fears, like you don’t know what the surgery is going to be like, or if the unfortunate happens or things like that. We just had to hope for the best.”
So, with their destination set in stone, Mike and Jane ventured to Edmonton’s University of Alberta Hospital to prepare for his surgery, with both of them having their own thoughts and ‘what-if’ scenarios. Jane remembers having trouble adapting to those first few nights.
“We got up there, and I had nowhere to stay. I didn’t sleep the first night, so I just stayed at the hospital. They were doing tests on him all night, and the surgeons were coming in and out. So, I just sat by his bed, and when he went in for surgery the next day, I just stayed up through all of that too,” she recalled.
“She was running like a drone,” added Mike, producing a smile on Jane.
Following the surgery that saw Mike’s kidney and pancreas replaced at the same time, he actually had to remain in post-op care in Edmonton for three months following the procedure in order for doctors and staff to ensure that everything had gone smoothly and that everything was functioning as it should. As it turned out, those three months were no picnic at times. Mike had to be tested three times a week to ensure that all was well, and when it wasn’t, that could produce its own type of medical drama.
“Every night, I had to give him an injection at 7 of a blood thinner so that he didn’t have any clots,” explained Jane. “And then he had a standard amount of pills, which was quite a few at nighttime. Huge amounts of pills to take, morning and night. I’d do his temperature and blood pressure constantly throughout the day. And if a fever came up, I had to get him in because that meant something was not good. He did develop fever and we brought him in, and they kept him there for quite a while. It was a constant vigil.”
After September, October, and finally November came and went, the question started to arise of whether Mike would still be in post-op care by the time Christmas rolled around. Jane says they were prepared to stay over the holidays if that was decided, but perhaps miraculously, the pair returned home on Dec. 18, just a week before Christmas Day.
While being at home would of course bring all kinds of positivity to the situation, reality would also come knocking at the door every once in a while during Mike’s recovery period. There were a few incidents that definitely brought some stress, including when a drainage tube containing the fluid that had built up over the surgery was accidentally cut, or when rashes started breaking out over Mike’s body. Johnson even suffered a brief period of Bell’s Palsy that managed to become suppressed and cleared over time with medicine.
Mike and Jane both acknowledge the fact that one of the most important things about this entire ordeal was that someone had to give their life so that Mike could continue living his own. They said they are eternally grateful for the young man whose healthy organs are continuing to be used today.
“That young man, I call him our hero,” said Jane. “He actually saved five lives with his decision to donate his remains. Two organs from him went to Mike, one kidney and a pancreas; the other kidney went to another fellow just north of Edmonton; a double lung went to a fellow in Saskatoon; and a liver went to a young girl. I don’t know if there’s really a word to describe it other than thankful or grateful. Every night when we say prayers, we give our thanks to this young fellow who selflessly gave his organs and his family. That has to be so hard for them to do.”
In his recovery time since the surgery just over a year ago, Mike’s life has almost started a renewed second phase where things have become easier for him on a daily basis. Gone are the daily injections that were required due to his diabetes, which by itself brings an improved mental state for him.
“The fact that I don’t have to take injections anymore, I just felt this great relief,” said Mike. “Because the old me would have to get up and then maybe get myself awake for about an hour or an hour and a half just to prepare to take the needles. Because I don’t want to immediately take a needle as soon as I get up because you worry that you’re going to hit a vein or something like that or make a mistake. My life sure has improved. I’ve never felt better.”
The fact that her son went through such a health-care journey that had its own twists and turns along the way made Jane take a look at where Canada sits as far as transplant donors and procedures are concerned. She hopes that people take such information to heart and maybe even make the decision to become a donor themselves to help people like Mike who are waiting for a crucial organ in order to continue living their lives.
“This whole experience showed me how important life is,” she said. “We’ve always had our donor cards marked. But it’s even more important to tell someone. Because things can happen. And nobody knows what you really want.
“I’ve actually jotted down a few things I wanted people to know. As of December 2024, when we came home, there were still almost 4,100 people waiting for a transplant. And the numbers fluctuate, but 71 per cent are for kidney; 14 pr cent is liver; five per cent are lungs; three per cent are hearts; and three per cent is pancreas. In 2024, almost 700 people were removed from the list because their health had either become too bad or they had actually died.”
It was when Mike successfully came out of his surgery that Jane started seeing the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, and she had a feeling that things were only going to get better from that day on.
“Once he got out, I knew everything would be okay,” she said. “‘Everything will be okay.’ That’s been our mantra. The best thing about this whole thing is that he’s still here. I remember when he was just young, thinking and saying, I pray that there’s a cure for diabetes in my lifetime. And there’s not a cure, but he did get transplants, and he’s doing so well.”
Mike, Jane and their entire family are grateful for the people in their lives that helped them throughout the way, including the local Kinsmen Club, Ron and Elaine Nadeau and family, the Terrace Dining Room, and what Jane calls “countless” others who helped the family monetarily. Their help, whether it was some funds, a meal, or even just some needed emotional support allowed the family to continue moving forward to the desired outcome that Mike is enjoying today.
“The shackles are off,” said Mike.
The pair are happy and smiling more these days because Mike is now able to live a better, more fulfilling daily life.
For both of them, it’s very simple: words aren’t enough.
“Thank you just isn’t enough in my heart,” said Jane, tearing up when thinking of the young man who her son has benefited from. “It really isn’t. I often think of him, and I think that when he arrived in heaven that day, he arrived to a standing ovation.”
“I’d also say that a thank you just isn’t enough,” said Mike. “But also, more to the family that lost this person; I just hope that they have peace, and that they know that something in him is still alive today.”
