Jonathan, Amanda and Ryder

On February 1st 2019 my beautiful baby brother passed away. He was at home surrounded by family and passed peacefully. 

Jonathan suffered with COPD for years, but in the past years it became more and more difficult to control the lows and attacks. He hated the hospital so much, but completed a rehab program to lose weight and become eligible for a lung transplant. He was so proud of how much he accomplished, and he was willing to fight to save his life for his fiancee Amanda VanNeste and his beautiful son Ryder.



Jonathan Oldroyd lived his 34 years with courage, enthusiasm and a happiness that most of us can only dream. He was the light of our lives, the glue in the family and the kindest person you’ve ever met. Our lives feel hollow without you.

Due to his illness Jonny was unable to work to support his family for the past two years, he was also not eligible for life insurance.   Amanda has lost her hopes and dreams and I would like to continue this Gofundme to support her and Ryder through this heartbreaking time.  



The original campaign to support Jonathan’s accommodations in Toronto for the lung transplant brought him so much peace.  He was thrilled to see your names and it let him know how loved and supported he was while he was still with us.  I can’t thank everyone enough for bringing him happiness.  Thank you everyone for supporting us and God bless you all.

We would also like to take this time to ask everyone to please, please become an organ donor. It is the simplest thing in the world, simply by signing your organ donor card, you can give the gift of life to so many.



Original Campaign -  

My brother Jonathan Adam Oldroyd was born 3 months premature. While he was hospitalized at Women’s College in Toronto his lungs collapsed and he required a kidney surgery.  
Despite the setback, Jonny grew up seemingly healthy.   
   
That would all change. At 16, he started to become short of breath.  But it wasn’t until 2014 when things started to turn for the worse.

He lived on his own and worked for a grocery store across a parking lot from his apartment.  He asked my Dad for advice on how to get tree sap out of his work shirt.  It turned out that he was unable to make it across the parking lot without having to stop and lean on a pine tree, hoping to catch his breath.

During a flight to Vancouver, Jonny went into medical distress and a doctor had to be called for.  Despite this, he walked across a beach for me so we could take wedding pictures.  I protested and tried to take the pictures closer, but he looked at me and said....”you only get to do this once....”

Jonny then met Amanda, whom he proposed to with his godmother’s engagement ring.   Their beautiful son Ryder was born  November 13th, 2017.

Jonathan was been diagnosed with COPD at 34 years old.  According to his respirologist there’s no reason his lungs should have been so bad, the entire family is being tested  as carriers of the alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.  Jonny is on oxygen 24 hours a day at 8 litres per minute.  

Although he was supposed to be on bed rest Jonny does everything he can to make sure his family is creating memories together.  



Jonny was the light of our family.  His presence instantly turned any occasion into a party.  The only reason anyone watches our old family videos is to watch the cute things he did.  At my wedding he turned every boring family photo into well...



Jonny required a double lung transplant, in Toronto, Ontario the city with the highest rental rates in Canada.   He needed to be within a certain radius of the hospital while waiting for a set of gifted lungs, as well as remaining in Toronto for the critical recovery stage.  The average cost per month for a small one bedroom Airbnb or motel on the outskirts of the radius we’ve estimated to be 2000-3000 per month.  A positive best case scenario would have had Jonathan and our parents in Toronto for 3 months.  

During this time Amanda would have been separated from her fiancée as Ryder is only 14 months and she is supporting the family with her job as an Early Childhood Educator.   Amanda is the kindest, most loving woman who exhausts herself ensuring hundreds of children are shown love and kindness daily.


When he was in the hospital with an attack, he worried so much about his family that he had a hard time focusing on himself.  Knowing they would be secure truly changed this for him.

Please also consider organ donation as a way to support us!  The gift of life is so precious.

Thank you so much for your time.