RBC Dominion Securities Senior Portfolio Manager and Wealth Advisor Craig Thompson has always been an athlete. A varsity football player in university, he later turned pro and played ball overseas. As he got older, his focused turned to running – he competed internationally on the track, specializing in 800m and 1500m distances.
While running has been a lifelong passion, family is his purpose. So when his mother Cathie began to experience rapid kidney function decline, he immediately volunteered to be tested as a live kidney donor. Confirmed as a strong match, Craig was adamant that he would donate a kidney to Cathie – even if it meant he would never run again.
Over the next few months, Craig and Cathie would undergo a gauntlet of tests, meetings with social workers and transplant counselors, and education sessions with the kidney care team at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton (affectionately known as St. Joe’s). The more Craig, Cathie and their families learned about the success of kidney transplants, including the likelihood of living a healthy life with one kidney and Cathie’s potentially bleak outlook without this transplant, the more certain this tight-knit family became that the son-to-mother transplant was the best way forward.
In March 2024, Craig and Cathie underwent successful surgeries by Dr. Rahul Bansal at St. Joe’s. Week by week and month by month, Cathie got stronger, and Craig got faster. He started his comeback with slow shuffles down the hallway, then moved to longer walks outside before ultimately reaching the track once again. Soon, Craig felt hopeful that the ambitious goal he had set for himself – to complete in this year’s World Master’s Athletics Championships – might still be within his grasp.
This summer, Craig took part in WMAC in Sweden – an elite competition that attracts thousands of athletes from countries all over the world. Competing less than six months after donating one of his kidneys to his mom, Craig matched his times from two years ago.
Inside Cathie, Craig’s kidney is functioning at 90 percent and giving his mom a new lease on life. “I feel great, and I’m so enjoying my renewed health and wellbeing,” she says. “My friends often ask me if I am faster now that I have a runner’s kidney, but my answer is always the same: sadly, I have not yet experienced that transformation!”
In appreciation for the care Craig and Cathie received, the family made a donation to The Department of Education and Learning to advance nephrology education at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. They are also sharing their journey of strength, love and courage with the hope that it may inspire someone else to consider becoming a kidney donor.
In 2025, the hospital will be hanging a small plaque to celebrate Craig and Cathie.
Read more about Craig and Cathie’s remarkable story here.
Discover the extent of Craig’s comeback in Canadian Running Magazine’s feature about his journey on and off the track.