08/28/2026
**Update: Please Share**
After an incredible outpouring of support and shares across social media, Navjot found her living kidney donor! Following testing at UHN to confirm they were a match, the two began their journey together, and we are overjoyed to share that Navjot's transplant surgery has been a success!
Navjot was admitted to the hospital on June 17th for pre-operative testing, bloodwork, and one final meeting with her surgeon. On June 18th, both Navjot and her donor underwent surgery, each lasting 3 hrs, which was a huge success for them both. Being young, Navjot was able to avoid recovering in the ICU entirely, moving to the step-down unit and then the transplant inpatient unit, where she recovered for 8 days before being discharged home. Her donor followed shortly after, discharged at 9 days.
The early days were not without their challenges: pain, grogginess, weakness, fluid buildup, swelling, and nausea from adjusting to her new anti-rejection medications. She quickly learned that hugging a pillow to her lower abdomen helped manage the pain from her incision when coughing or moving. By June 20th she was feeling more alert and took her first post-operative steps — painful but tackled with incredible determination and strength!
Returning home brought its own adjustment: learning to be immunocompromised, isolating from crowds, and spending much of her time resting to heal. Through July she steadily built her strength back up with longer walks and more time on her feet each day.
Now two months post-surgery, Navjot is doing amazing; she is glowing with happiness! Her incision has healed beautifully, her medications are much more manageable, and she continues to follow all guidelines from her transplant team, including routine bloodwork check-ups to ensure her new kidney is thriving — and it sure is! The most joyful part of her recovery has been rediscovering what it feels like to be well. She LOVES having her appetite back and her energy restored after so long being chronically sick. In a fun twist, Navjot, who never had a sweet tooth, has fallen in love with ice cream, treating herself to a scoop of vanilla whenever the craving strikes! She has also been enjoying cooking at home with her renewed energy, trying new recipes like chicken tacos, with a salmon dish and some baking adventures still on the horizon!
Navjot is profoundly grateful for her donor's selfless and life-changing gift, the kindness and support of all the nurses on the transplant unit, and every single person who shared, supported, and cheered her on throughout this journey. For the first time in her life, she is truly healthy, and this milestone marks a new beginning, one she is so excited to see unfold.
— Navjot & Campaign Team
