Sherbrooke - Céline Larochelle's mother , Tim Gaudreau, died at the age of 52 last week, nearly 26 years after receiving a bone marrow transplant.
Céline Larochelle's funeral will be held this afternoon in Magog. In 1989, Sherbrookoise d'origine was the first Quebecer to successfully receive a bone marrow transplant from a partially compatible donor. This transplant allowed her to see her son, Tim Gaudreau, grow up. - Photo provided
"My mother was a medical first. In 1989, she was the first in Quebec to receive a partially compatible transplant, "explains the son of the deceased, Tim Gaudreau, Sherbrooke who recalls that at the time his mother had been described as" miraculously de Sherbrooke "in one of The Tribune. The first bone marrow transplant was performed in 1980 in Quebec, but before Ms. Larochelle, it was performed between entirely compatible donors and recipients. Reaching a rare disease, aplastic anemia, Céline Larochelle learns at 26 that he has two months left to live. "Finally, she stayed in hospital for nine months and received about 760 blood transfusions before receiving her transplant," says his son Tim Gaudreau, who was 6 when his mother received a second life.
In 1990, thanks to the show Le Match de la vie animated by Claude Charron, Céline Larochelle finds her donor, her savior: David Lanar, a biologist from Washington. After meeting with Dr. Lanar, Céline Larochelle went to work for a few years at the American Institute of Health. She accompanies hundreds of people waiting for transplants, gives lectures, even at the Pentagon, and is honored in the mid-1990s by none other than President Bill Clinton for his dedication.
Her case is mentioned in several medical books and in a 1994 edition of National Geographic. "When she returned to Quebec, she set up a foundation and an independent blood bank. She also continued to accompany people waiting for a transplant, "says Tim Gaudreau, the only son of Mrs. Larochelle.
In 1989, Céline Larochelle's transplant was a success, but the Sherbrookoise contracted hepatitis C during one of the many transfusions received previously "Because of this contamination, my mother recently suffered from liver cancer, but she was healed. It was finally a cerebral hemorrhage that suddenly took it away, "says Tim Gaudreau, who was at the side of his mother when she collapsed.
The 26 years of life that Céline Larochelle gave her bone marrow transplant have allowed her to realize her greatest dream: to see her son grow up. "Her dream of seeing me big and happy was fulfilled and she left in peace. We made lots of trips.
My mother was my best friend. My mother spent her life saying "I love you" to people and hugging them. She was a little angel and took nothing for granted, "says a grateful son of those years shared. His son Tim Gaudreau , following in the footsteps of his mother, is now well known in the field of alternative medicine throughout the province of Quebec for his work with sick people. He works as a naturopath specializing in cases of serious and chronic diseases. He is also passionate about words and music. He works as a singer-songwriter. Tim Gaudreau Music
source: The tribune, Sherbrooke
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