01/30/2026
*Please share to save William’s life*
Hi friends, William Larsen lives in Mississauga and has liver failure. He is getting sicker. He is on the organ transplant list for a liver and needs a living donor with blood type O+ or O- to donate at the Toronto General Hospital to save his life. Finding a living donor is becoming more urgent.
For a person diagnosed with liver disease, there is a long and difficult wait for a deceased donor. Sadly, some patients will die waiting. Every three days, a person dies in Ontario because they don't get the lifesaving transplant they need.
Living liver donation is when a live person donates a portion of their liver. A living donor’s liver regenerates in approximately six weeks! In finding a living donor, William will be removed from the deceased donor list, and everyone else eagerly waiting for a liver will move up one spot. The living donor will be saving TWO lives: William and the next person on the waiting list for a deceased donor!
Since 1990, more than 1,300 living liver donor transplants have been done at Toronto General Hospital. All donors have returned to their regular lifestyle with no restrictions.
The donor does not need to be a relative or of the same ethnicity (that matters for stem cells, not organs). The criteria for living organ donors are different than for blood donors. If you are not eligible to donate blood, you may still be able to be a living organ donor.
William was born in Walkerton, Ontario. He moved to Toronto in 1972 and attended George Brown College (graphic design) then Ryerson (business).
William was with Ward Air, then Canadian Airlines and Air Canada for 40 years, from 1977 to 2017. Willian started in the Ward Air training department as a production coordinator and then became a member of the cabin crew in 1986.
William has nine nieces and nephews and is a great uncle to seven great nieces and nephews. Before getting sick, William enjoyed cycling, gardening, reading and travelling. The disease progression and brain fog make this difficult.
William is a big Blue Jays baseball fan and used to go in person. He hasn’t missed a game on TV this season. These days, his world is smaller and limited to trips to the grocery store, drugstore, and doctor.
William is trying to look past the transplant and into his life afterward. As a retired cabin crew with 40 years he has unlimited flights worldwide. He longs to travel when he’s well.
Anyone with blood type O+ or O- between the ages of 16 and 60 and in good health (no diabetes, cancer, kidney or heart disease) can apply to be William’s living liver donor.
To learn more about living liver donation and apply to be William’s donor, visit: www.uhn.ca/Transplant/Living_Donor_Program/Pages/living_liver_donor.aspx.
To apply to become William’s donor, complete the online health history. Completing and submitting this health history is your application. You must provide proof of blood type, either from your blood donor card (or app) or through a family physician. The application form asks for William’s full name (William Larsen) and date of birth (June 30, 1954).
Candidates go through a comprehensive assessment to ensure they are healthy enough to donate.
For expenses like travel, food, accommodation, and income replacement, there is a reimbursement program through Trillium Gift of Life for the donor and their caregiver. Trillium will reimburse expenses even if you get part-way through the screening process and change your mind or aren’t accepted. You can also submit receipts for reimbursement throughout the process and don’t need to wait until after the surgery. You can live anywhere in Canada and still be reimbursed for travel to Toronto.
Anyone can help by sharing this post.
If you’d like answers to any questions about living liver donation, contact:
Centre for Living Organ Donation at UHN
Phone: 416-340-5400
Email: livingorgandonation@UHN.ca
Website: www.livingorgandonation.ca
You can ask questions anonymously to learn more about living liver donation. Communications between a potential living donor and donor team are confidential and not shared with the recipient.
The UHN Centre for Living Donation hosts weekly on-line information sessions for potential donors, people on the waitlist and caregivers. To register for the next Potential Living Liver Donors session, please visit https://givelifeuhn.eventbrite.ca.
To view stories of living liver donors and recipients across Canada, visit www.greatactions.ca.
Please share this with anyone you know who might be willing to help. We will need someone brave and generous to give William the gift of life.
Thank you so much to anyone who applies and spreads the word. William’s family and friends are deeply grateful to you.
