To say Travis Gerrits has a high threshold for pain would be putting it mildly.
“Four knee surgeries, a few broken bones and this, that and the next thing. I’ve fallen on my face more than I’d like to admit from 50 feet up in the air,” quips the retired Olympic freestyle aerial skier of his injury resumé.
But as the 32-year-old Miltonian can now attest, enduring one type of physical hardship doesn’t necessarily prepare you for another.
That realization struck full force in late February, following his kidney donation to a close family friend turned boss.
“Those first 10 days after the surgery were probably some of the worst of my life. It was very painful, uncomfortable. I was not self-sufficient or independent whatsoever. I had to get my father to pick me up out of bed.
“It was a new kind of pain.”
That unpleasant stretch now in his rearview mirror, Gerrits has left doctors “extremely impressed” with his recovery. Having just passed the initial three-month cautionary period, his energy level is nearly back to normal and he’s slowly resuming regular exercise.
Donor recipient doing great
Even more encouraging – and rewarding – is the progress made by transplant recipient Carlos Sousa, who’d already had one cancer-infected kidney removed many years earlier. He was down to 30-40 per cent function in the other – at the mercy of dialysis – and facing an uncertain future when his “saviour” stepped in.
Today, the 66-year-old is back at work, has a ton more energy and is looking ahead to the six-month clearance that will allow him such long-paused luxuries as air travel.
“This is the best I’ve felt in seven years.” said Sousa. “He (Travis) is a special human being. What can I say? He saved my life.”
Said Gerrits, “To see that life come back into him is priceless.”
The two were talking in the office one day about a year and a half ago when the seed for their life-changing connection was planted.
With his situation continuing to deteriorate, Sousa had just recently learned that yet another potential donor wasn’t going to come through and began sharing the criteria necessary for a transplant.
“I said I don’t even know my blood type,” recalled Gerrits, now working as a project manager for Sousa at Maritime Ontario Freight Lines after a competitive career highlighted by world championship silver, a seventh-place finish at the 2014 Sochi Games and numerous national championships. “I thought, well what am I going to do about that? Why don’t I know my blood type? Why aren’t we doing more, to just donate blood and help others?”
Gerrits booked an appointment to donate that afternoon, and soon discovered he and Sousa shared the same blood type.
The big-picture prospect was now clearly out there.
“I thought, I’m in a position where I could help somebody. Shortly thereafter I asked Carlos ‘Hey would you be interested in learning more? Let’s go through some of this vetting process and let’s see where it takes us.”
The urge to help was strong. And for good reason.
Sousa had worked with Gerrits’ father in the transportation industry and been close with the family for 15 or so years.
He’d been a supportive presence in the athlete’s life through good times and bad. And when the economic hardships brought on by COVID found Gerrits out of work, it was Sousa who offered a financial lifeline.
“I called our buddy Carlos and he was willing to bring me on for a new project, which was the warehouse distribution of PPE during the peak of the pandemic. He extended an olive branch and gave me a chance,” said the Milton Sports Hall of Fame inductee.
“What I think of when I think of him is just a very nice man who’s extended his support and his friendship and a helping hand to me and to others.”
That thought carried Gerrits through a year-long kidney donor journey with no shortage of anxious moments and thoroughly exhaustive testing.
“There’s tons of blood work, they’re testing literally everything. A lot of urine work, ECGs. You name it, it feels like everything under the sun they’re looking at, just to make sure you’re healthy and compatible.”
Gerrits explained that the coordinating teams working with the donor and recipient don't interact with one another for certain periods of the process to ensure confidentiality and the best interest of the donor.
"It's really so that he or she is looked out for, to ensure there's no risk, no complications... that I was the top priority."
Emotional time for Gerrits
While the boxes continued to be checked off and reassurances given along the way that all looked good, Gerrits admits his nerves kicked up on a number of occasions, noting “There’s a lot that plays on your mind.”
He likened that to the feelings that would creep in before a high-stakes competition.
At those times he’d turn to Sousa’s strength and light-hearted wisdom for inspiration.
“One of Carlos’ favourite sayings is how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. It’s very similar to how I would attack creating a plan for a big competition or big events in life… piecing it out in smaller chunks and figuring out the best way to go about it, whether it be the good, bad or ugly.”
Along the way, Gerrits said he felt an incredible amount of support from his medical team, who was “phenomenal to work with.”
Of course he’s been on the receiving end of plenty of praise himself.
“We kept it (donation) quiet just to give him an out and not have anyone judge, but he never did,” said Sousa. “That speaks to his character. He gave me another lease on life. I owe him everything.”
To say the need for living donors like Gerrits is great would be an understatement.
“There are over 3,500 Canadians waiting for a transplant – 73 per cent are waiting for a kidney. In Ontario, on average people will wait about four years for a deceased donor kidney and it’s no secret the current supply does not meet the need,” said Anthony Tirone, executive director of The Kidney Foundation’s Ontario Branch. “Living donation helps reduce wait times and is truly the gift of life.”
For Gerrits, it wasn’t just about adding years to Sousa’s life as helping enhance the quality of it.
“Not being able to go eat what you want, not being able to go swimming. Being tied to dialysis three times a week and not being able to travel. It came down to quality of life, and what we all deserve and should have access to,” said Gerrits.
“I’m not sure other people will go and donate an organ today or tomorrow. But even if it’s checking a box on your driver’s licence, that when you pass you might be able to help save somebody else.”
“I’m extremely grateful that I had that opportunity to help.”
With this summer marking the five-year anniversary of his official retirement from competition, the former aerial skiing star looks back on his career with satisfaction and gratitude.
“It feels so great, both from a performance perspective and from an overall happiness with that quality of life. I have no regrets. Obviously there’s still pieces that I miss, but it was my time to move on.
“I’m extremely proud of my accomplishments and thankful for that opportunity to represent Milton and Canada.”