Ottawa Senators DJ in urgent need of kidney transplant

The Ottawa Senators’ resident DJ Prosper is in urgent need of a kidney transplant. CTV’s Dave Charbonneau shares his story.

The Ottawa Senators’ resident DJ Prosper is in urgent need of a kidney transplant. His family is facing a tough road ahead and is asking for help.

Prosper is known for keeping fans energized at Senators games. He is now fighting for his life.

“So, I checked into the hospital to find out that my kidneys have complete kidney failure,” he said.

The father of three is currently on dialysis three times a week, but that will soon increase as time goes on.

“I have to be now under dialysis and it’s going to go towards needing a kidney transplant in order for me to survive,” he said.

His wife, Melissa Laguerre, said the timing couldn’t have been worse for their family.

“It’s hard on the kids. It’s definitely hard on our two older children,” she said. “We lost our jobs one week before his kidneys failed. A lot just started coming at us all at once.”

Their biggest worry now is how to support their family while navigating this health crisis.

A GoFundMe was set up by friends of the family to help them through this difficult time.

“I’m thinking, my wife and I, how are we were going to pivot? We have a mortgage, we got bills, we got kids. So, you know, just that was adding a lot of stress into my life,” Prosper said.

Right now, more than 9,000 Ontarians are living with a functioning kidney transplant.

Craig Lindsay, director of programs and public policy for the Kidney Foundation of Ontario, said The Ottawa Hospital has an innovative program to speed up the testing process for potential living donors.

“They try to get all that testing for a potential living donor done in one day, which certainly helps move things forward,” Lindsay said. “And really, the transplant team and the living donor team ultimately say this is safe to move forward. And at that point, they actually start to look at booking the operating room.”

Despite his condition, Prosper is still in good spirits, but is in desperate need of a kidney transplant as soon as possible.

“The sooner the better it is, in order to fix this issue. Because, in the long term, I could have high risk for, you know, cardiac arrest, all kinds of issues,” he said.

Laguerre said finding a donor means saving more than just one life.

“It’s a big request, but you’re not just saving his life. You’re saving a family,” she said. “Our kids, they adore him. And I know it’s a big step, and it’s a big request. And we just pray that the right person comes forward that could be a match.”

Visit The Ottawa Hospital’s Living Kidney Donation website if you are interested in being a living donor.