In June 2009, the Canadian Transplant Association confirmed my beloved Quebec City as the host of the next Canadian Transplant Games. I will therefore see one of my dreams realised when all my friends, transplant recipients, families of donors and others are present next August 9-14. Thanks to Gaston Martin for having persisted and making sure that the application documents were all complete.

Several years after having received my new liver – you know, when one begins once again to make plans for the future --- I set myself the objective of setting foot upon the 5 continents before turning 50! Last August, my participation in the World Transplant Games in Gold Coast, Australia, enabled me to happily fulfill this dream. During the evening of August 29 2009, I celebrated my transplantation; it had been 9 years, 9 months and 9 days since I had received a liver and therefore a new life.

Last November 25th, I turned 50. Half a century is something, especially when you think that without a transplant, the probability that I would have reached this important step was pretty thin. In order to properly celebrate this memorable day, I wanted to do something significant for the promotion of organ and tissue donations. Moreover, I took advantage of the fact that Quebec-Transplant held a training session for medical teams that welcome donors’ families, in order to show them my joy of living. In great part, I owe my happiness of being alive to their work. These people really are of critical importance in the realization of transplants. Also, the gold medal won in Bangkok by the volleyball team was presented to Mrs Andrée Coulombe, who has worked as a nurse for the past 50 years as head of the Intensive Care Unit at the Hotel Dieu de Québec (kidney transplant center), for her dedication to the organ donation cause.

I am really looking forward to seeing you in Quebec City in August. I hope that the coming years will see the number of supporters of organ and tissue donations increase and the number of individuals waiting for a transplant decrease. And who knows, I might realize for a second time my dream of touching all five continents before turning 60!