When a Calgary resident heard that his longtime friend was in need of help, he says that there was no limit to the lengths that he’d go to fulfill his request.

Jarret Jivan and Chris Maybroda have been friends for over 30 years, meeting when they were classmates in elementary school in Winnipeg.

They’ve stayed in touch nearly four decades later and when Maybroda learned that Jivan needed a new kidney, he says there was no question about it.

“I looked at my wife and said, ‘of course I’m donating if I can. I’m getting tested’ and she said, ‘of course you are.’”

Jivan says he first learned that he had a problem with his kidneys back in February 2016.

A month before, he said he was able to run a marathon but that strength soon began to wane until the point where he had difficulty walking down the street.

“On April 1 [2016], I went into the doctor and I kind of surprised the nursing student there because my blood pressure was so high. That’s when within about 12 days, on my 43rd birthday, I was diagnosed with not only kidney disease but also end stage renal failure.”

Jivan went on dialysis but by the end of 2017, it was no longer enough and he went onto a list for organ donation.

“It was shocking because it came on so fast and you start telling your family and friends first. Word gets around, especially with the technology in terms of smartphones now. So I was fortunate that I had a number of people that came forward.”

One of the people that wanted to help was Maybroda, who also ended up being a perfect match.

After undergoing a number of tests, Maybroda went to Ontario, where Jivan lives, and underwent the six hour procedure to donate his kidney.

He says that the donation is the least he could do.

“People like my grandfather fought in wars to protect people that he didn’t even know. Certainly I can step up and donate to a guy I’ve known for 35 years.”

Jivan says he is eternally thankful to his friend.

“You can’t repay something like that. It’s just the generosity of Chris is amazing and he never thought twice about it and it means so much in terms of medical freedom for me.”

He says that the whole procedure has shown him the importance of organ donation and encourages everyone to fill out and sign their organ donation cards.

“That’s very important in terms of having enough donors out there to meet the needs. Right now, across Canada, I think there are 4,800 people on the waiting list for organ transplant and 80 percent of those are for kidneys and there just isn’t enough supply out there.”

He adds that he would like to see legislation introduced by the federal government that would bring about a presumed consent and an opting-out for organ donation instead of the current practices.

(With files from Ina Sidhu)