JKP & Julia: Sibling Liver Transplant Fundraiser
Forget Batman. Forget James Bond. Forget that slightly creepy Dos Equis guy who plagued our television screens in the mid-2000s. Jeff Kovalik-Plouffe (JKP to those who know of him) is the *legitimate* most interesting man in the world.
A son, a brother, an uncle, a partner, a friend; an entrepreneur, a defender of democracy, an advisor to Canadian cabinet ministers, a strategist for American presidents (JKP singlehandedly got Obama elected in 2008 and re-elected in 2012 by phone canvassing in the crucial swing state of North Dakota); a baller, a shot caller, a 2-time basketball city champion, a 5-time Hoop-It-Up gold medalist. A man with a mind sharper than an obsidian blade and an inner strength/spirit more powerful than the intergalactic forces that created our universe.
Near as we can tell, the only thing about JKP that isn't exceptionally built is his liver. You see, JKP has late stage liver failure due to a chronic degenerative disease called primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). First diagnosed in the early 2000s, Jeff has spent the better part of the past two decades fighting PSC, and was recently told by doctors that, due to his rapidly deteriorating condition, his only chance of survival was a life-saving liver transplant.
And that’s where JKP's younger sister Julia enters the story. Julia and her husband, Ryan, have two young children (pictured above with Uncle Jeff on Halloween). And without a moment's hesitation or second thought, she has selflessly agreed to be JKP’s living donor, volunteering to take an extended leave of absence from her teaching career to have a portion of her liver transplanted at significant personal risk to her own health.
Because of Julia's generosity, doctors have officially confirmed the liver transplant will take place this coming Monday (Jan. 17, 2022) in Toronto.
As Winnipeg hospitals do not have the facilities to perform liver transplants, JKP and Julia, along with their mother Judy and Jeff's partner Randi, will be travelling to Toronto this week for the surgeries. Judy and Randi will be providing medically-required caregiving support, requiring both of them to take considerable time away from their jobs to provide this essential assistance. However, it turns out that none of these costs are covered by medical insurance or the Canadian healthcare system.
JKP’s friends have created this GoFundMe in an effort to stave off some of the mounting expenses related to the surgeries that Jeff and his family are facing as they enter this new phase of their health journey. We’re hoping to raise upwards of $25,000 to assist the four of them with travel costs, as well as for the countless drugs and medications JKP will require post-surgery that are not covered by Canada's Pharmacare system. Furthermore, JKP and Julia will be sidelined for the next several months while they recover from the transplant (JKP himself has already been on long-term disability for the past year).
JKP infamously once stated that “together we can achieve tomorrow.” And while the sentence has never made any practical, rational, or literal sense, the sentiment certainly rings true. Together we *can* achieve tomorrow, and we can ensure JKP, his sister Julia, and their families come through this arduous ordeal stronger and healthier than ever before.