Help Support Zach on his Kidney Quest

Hey everyone My name is Megan and today I am taking the leap to reach out for help for my husband and our family.

My husband Zachary Gonyou-McLean was diagnosed with Alport's Syndrome at a young age; a kidney disease that eventually leads to kidney failure, as well as other connected symptoms (hearing loss). For anyone who knows Zach, you know that he’s not the type to complain or look for sympathy when it comes to his health and medical journey. But now that things have gotten quite difficult, he has given his consent for our family and I to relieve some of that weight and do what we can to help through public outreach and sharing his story.

Over the last couple of years, myself, my dad, my mom, his uncle, and a family friend all came forward and got tested to be a donor. Unfortunately, we are still on the hunt for a match. Zach has now been on dialysis for over a year (started October 2022) and it’s really taking a toll on his body (not to mention all of our minds).

While our social media pages and websites are mainly for spreading the word and looking for a donor (see links at the bottom), this GoFundMe page is more for the hard-truths / financial impacts of this disease and our quest for a new kidney.

Due to the complications of his health, Zach and I have both had to miss time from work (previous leaves or emergency absences), and starting Monday, Zach will now be starting another short term disability leave. His daily life and reality involves numerous 1hr commutes for hospital visits and 12 hrs of weekly dialysis, low hemoglobin, transfusions, surgeries, chest catheter maintenance, and overall physical weaknesses and limitations.

To the surprise of his medical teams and work, Zach has actually managed to stay on full-time at his job working at Sobey's for the majority these last few years. However, November/December brought us our first run-in with Covid (we've been super diligent), and Zach has since been fighting both atypical pneumonia and pericarditis. His body has been begging for a chance to rest.

Any funds raised through this campaign would give us the chance to take a deep breath and ease our worries when it comes to paying the bills, supporting Zach's special renal diet, or filling our gas tanks as we journey this tough road together. We first had a lower goal in mind (it’s an awkward thing asking for support), but family friends had us think through our losses and expenses … and wow did it add up. For every month that Zach has to be on leave, we lose at least $1000 of income - and that’s not taking into consideration the expenses previously mentioned. Any funds raised would go directly towards helping our family. Stay tuned for future updates and potential swag :)

Here is a little blurb about Zach and why we need your help❤

All About Zach

Meet Zach 33 yrs old and getting more handsome by the minute, this caring, self-less, nerdy, talented, and hardworking man is in need of a kidney transplant. Yes, you read that right – while he’s looking mighty fine on the outside, his insides aren’t looking too hot.

Zach actually had his first transplant at the age of 20, donated by his incredible Uncle Bruce. Having a genetic disease called Alport’s Syndrome, Zach grew up knowing that an organ transplant would be in his future. Thankfully, he was surrounded by a supportive friend/family team when that time came. Fast forward several years, and Zach met the love of his life (me ) when he was 26, living in Stittsville (Ottawa). Working his butt off, Zach built up his savings and experience at Sobeys, all while supporting me as I finished my studies and completed my teaching degree in North Bay. Thanks to his dedication, we had the nest egg we needed when the decision came to move back to my hometown in St. Thomas and buy our first house. In November 2020, Zach proposed to me on the Elevated Park, and this past November (2023) we celebrated our first anniversary being married .

As we all know, 2020 brought with it some real surprises, and our family had to learn how to navigate a pandemic with Zach having no immune system (due to his anti-rejection medications). What Zach and I didn’t anticipate was life testing us with another curveball –we found out that his transplanted kidney was dying. Zach was once again in Chronic Kidney Failure. Since then, we have been on a rollercoaster.

Since the fall of 2020, Zach’s health has steadily and significantly declined. I’ll try to keep it brief and uplifting for his sake, but I want to be clear that it has been incredibly difficult and scary.

One thing that has been so heartwarming, is the overwhelming support from our family and friends. From the get-go, Zach made it clear that he was uncomfortable making his condition public and asking for any sort of help – this couldn’t however stop his immediate circle from doing their darndest to make a difference. Over the last couple of years, my dad, my mom, myself, Zach’s uncle, and family friends have all come forward and gotten tested to donate their kidney. The team at LHSC (London Health Sciences Centre) worked hard to get us all tested, one at a time, but unfortunately things haven’t gone as smoothly as we had hoped.

One by one, after months of testing, almost everyone got declined as a kidney donor candidate. The time and love they put into coming forward and getting tested will always be in our hearts and a tribute to how incredible people can be in times of need.

My mom and I, while approved to donate (yay!), are actually the wrong blood type. We are instead on a long wait list for a potential kidney swap where donors and recipients – Canada-wide – are matched to complete as many transplants as possible. We are trying to stay positive, but time is of the essence, and it turns out our blood type isn’t super in demand.

In the fall of last year (2022), the time came for Zach to go on dialysis. After a surgery to install a chest catheter (two tubes by his collarbone that can never get wet), Zach started receiving life-saving treatment to clean his blood. And don't worry, his groom vest juusst fit over the tubes

Fast forward to today, and Zach continues to work full-time while receiving dialysis in 4-hour sessions, 3 days a week. While he’s got quite the team who loves his personality and spirit, man would it be great if he could stop seeing their faces .

Please, share this message as far and wide as you can. Every share, mention, staff-room chat, or dinner table small-talk makes a difference.

Thank you for reading this far.

For more information or the next steps to donate, please visit:

FB: Zach's Kidney Quest

IG: @zachskidneyquest

Website: Zach's Kidney Quest