MONTREAL — At the age of 31 and despite the fact that he is co-spokesperson for the Maison des greffés Lina Cyr, Marc-André Parent is the “baby” of the Défi-vélo that the Maison organizes every year.
It is the other co-spokesperson himself who says this. Patrice Dionne, unlike his beginner colleague, will be participating in his 18th participation in this organization’s flagship event, which will take place this year on July 12 and 13.
Mr. Parent was not even in this world when Mr. Dionne, now 72 years old, learned that he had suffered from a congenital heart disease since birth. But it wasn’t until he was 50 that he received his terrible diagnosis: a transplant was necessary.
During his long wait, which lasted four years, another organ was damaged. “It gave me problems with my liver. I was diagnosed with cardiac liver cirrhosis. I only had six months left to live. Both organs were finished, but it was impossible to do both transplants at the same time,” he said in an interview with The Canadian Press.
Perhaps not impossible after all… The Royal Victoria Hospital, which is the only establishment in Quebec specialized in transplants of these two vital organs – but never on the same person – offered to make him its guinea pig. Mr. Dionne jumped at this unexpected opportunity, so much so that on April 14, 2006, he became the first patient in the province to receive a double heart and liver transplant, a risky operation to say the least.
If he is still actively involved with the Maison des greffés 18 years later, it is because this place “allowed him to hold on” in the process of waiting for his two transplants. As the Royal Victoria Hospital is located in Montreal, he was asked to leave Beauce and temporarily move to the metropolis, because the long-awaited phone call could arrive at any time and time is of the essence in such circumstances. Hence the importance of such an organization for people living outside the Montreal region.
“I don’t have any family in Montreal, so I did some research to find an apartment, but I was starting to lack strength, I didn’t feel capable of fending for myself. My attending physician in Quebec referred me to the Maison des greffés Lina Cyr. She is also a liver transplant recipient, like me. She is originally from Gaspésie and sold everything to settle in Montreal. She decided to open a place at low prices to help people who come from the regions. Many people cannot leave their families or do not have the means. She took good care of me. That’s what kept me going.”
“It gave me the courage to continue”
There, he met people who had gone through a similar journey, which gave him “the courage to continue”.
“It’s an extraordinary place. You see people who are like you and who are waiting. You also see some who come back from their transplant and who are on fire. In six months, I saw around fifteen people who were doing well. It gave me the courage to continue.”
One of these important people is Serge Trépanier, a liver transplant recipient. The two men, whom Ms. Cyr affectionately called “her little guys,” became friends and decided in 2007 to organize a hike between Montreal and Quebec to raise funds to help finance the activities and daily operations of the House of transplant recipients. This initiative has become an annual tradition.
“We started with 45 people from our entourage. Over the years, we have raised $1.5 million,” rejoices Mr. Dionne. This is the organization’s main Source of funding.
For this 18th edition, the goal was set at $150,000. Two route options are available to participants: one of two days where cyclists will cycle in groups over a distance of 300 kilometers from Beloeil to Lévis, and one of one day between Victoriaville and Lévis (140 km).
According to Micheline Cyr Asselin, Ms. Cyr’s daughter, who took over as general director of the Maison, “each pedal stroke supports hope and life.” “Together, we are working to shape a future where every person waiting for or having received an organ donation finds refuge and support at the Lina Cyr Transplant Center. “It’s an invaluable resource,” she says.
“It’s a miracle of life and medicine”
Speaking of succession, Marc-André Parent continues Mr. Dionne’s awareness-raising efforts regarding organ donation.
The new co-spokesperson will be participating for the first time, but assures that this is only the beginning. “I’d like to do this until I’m 70 too!”
Like Mr. Dionne, he received a heart transplant. Three years have passed since then. Now 31 years old and father of two young boys, it was only natural for him to give back to the Maison des greffés, which welcomed him so well in 2021.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better place. We feel like a big family there. I was destined to die, but I was blessed. It is a miracle of life and medicine. After an operation like this, we tell ourselves that we must give back to others. It’s natural.”
The operation was so successful that he climbed Mount Richardson, the fourth highest peak in Quebec (1,180 meters), just eight weeks after his transplant.
“It’s a new life. It changed completely: there was a before and an after. I don’t feel like I have a transplanted heart.”
With this feat, we can easily take his word for it! We can bet that this hyperactive engineer will be among the first participants to cross the finish line in the Défi-vélo.
