We Are Kidney Patients, Living Donors and Others Affected by CKD

The Kidney Patient and Donor Alliance Canada (The Alliance) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to uniting and amplifying the voices of kidney patients, living donors and their families to play a meaningful role in improving the lives of those affected by chronic kidney disease (CKD) through advocacy, education, and kidney research that meaningfully involves patients as research partners across the spectrum of CKD, including early detection, dialysis, and transplantation. The Transplant Ambassador Program (TAP), a grassroots patient support program established in 2016, is a key service of the Alliance.

Our Purpose

To educate and empower patients and donors to speak up and get involved in issues that effect them, and to empower them to play a role in making positive change for themselves and others. We are focused on the following objectives:

• Mobilize a large network of kidney patients and kidney donors to promote and share relevant insights and information to improve kidney care.
• Identify and participate as partners in research of particular interest to kidney patients and kidney donors.
• Increase public awareness and understanding of kidney disease, kidney failure and kidney transplantation.
• Promote and support equal access to kidney care, kidney transplantation, including living donor transplantation.
• Advocate for the rights of and access to the best possible care for kidney patients and kidney donors.
• Collaborate wherever possible with individuals and organizations on projects of mutual interest.
• Assist policy makers and various levels of government by sharing lived experiences and information collected.

Board of Directors

Susan Q. McKenzie, President

Susan is a kidney patient who received a kidney transplant in 2010. She is a dedicated advocate for kidney and transplant patients, and an experienced patient research partner, including being the Co-Founder and Chair of the Transplant Ambassador Program.

Susan is a lifelong communications and fundraising professional who holds a Master of Arts from the University of Waterloo.

Mary Beaucage

Mary Beaucage is Anishnaabe, from Nipissing First Nation, near North Bay Ontario. She is a vulnerable and engaging storyteller who trusts you with her story. Mary has type 2 diabetes and was diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease in 2013 and started dialysis immediately. In March 2015, she received a kidney from her cousin Janice, who lives in Manitoba.

Mary has been active as a patient advocate and patient research partner since 2016 including roles with Can-SOLVE CKD, CDTRP, Ontario Renal Network, Trillium Gift of Life, and the Transplant Ambassador Program.

Alexandra Freund

Alexandra is a kidney transplant recipient who is passionate about helping others with end stage kidney failure, and in particular, about supporting younger patients realize their best possible outcome through pre-emptive transplant.

She advocates for living donor transplant in her life and through her work as a Transplant Ambassador, as well the acting Provincial Program Coordinator for the Transplant Ambassador Program, a key pillar of the Ontario Renal Network’s Enhancing Access to Kidney Transplant and Living Donation Research Strategy.

Kenneth Litchfield

As a leader, Ken has always had a deep authentic connection with people. Red tape is his greatest enemy. He is a passionate advocate, both professionally and personally with strengths in risk management, complex system improvement including: Process and Personal Health, Safety and Emergency Response.

A war-torn 7 year Kidney Transplant survivor, Ken's life has been drastically changed as result of CKD and its associated failures and complications. It may be said that Ken is not shy. When he was run over by CKD, he decided it was only fair to seek opportunities to improve the process where he could. Born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, he's married to his best friend and feels blessed beyond recognition.

Marian Reich

Marian is a living kidney donor and patient and donor advocate. A lifelong teacher and learner, Marian strives to make the world a happier, more peaceful place every single day.

She shares her lived experience as a kidney donor with Chronic Kidney Disease patients and their family members as one of the first Ambassadors in the Transplant Ambassador Program. She seeks improvements in the current healthcare delivery model to ensure patients receive the appropriate treatment in a timely manner.

Marian also participates in research as a patient partner to find and bring awareness to the barriers patients and donors experience in order to bring improvements in healthcare policy and practice.

Lynn van der Linde

Lynn van der Linde leads an advisory services practice helping organizations build transformation strategies, and held previous executive roles with IBM and Canadian Blood Services. Lynn has also held various executive Board of Director positions with Canadian not-for-profits, including CHEO Research Institute, Fertile Future, and The IBD Foundation.

Her most important job is being the proud mother of two teenage boys. At the age of nineteen, her oldest son, Max was suddenly diagnosed with end-stage CKD, where she experienced firsthand the fear and uncertainty of dialysis, the lack of information on transplant hospitals across the country, and the need for urgency and consistency in donor work-up processes. Six months after his diagnosis, Lynn gifted a kidney to Max. She believes whole-heartedly in the mission of the Kidney Patient and Donor Alliance and is honoured to contribute.

Advisory Council

Jason Kroft, Chair

Jason is a kidney patient who received a kidney transplant more than 20 years ago. He has been an active supporter and advocate for kidney patients and a volunteer with the Transplant Ambassador Program.

He is a Partner at Miller Thomson in Toronto with over 25 years of experience.

Brent Cheal

Brent is a living kidney donor who donated a kidney to his daughter in 2004. Brent’s daughter was diagnosed with kidney disease at 10-years-old.

Since then, he has leveraged this passion, expertise and insight to build leading-edge technology solutions through his Calgary-based company, Adappcity, which is currently developing an AI-powered app to help kidney patients find donors and educate potential donors.

Jamal El Ali

Jamal is a professor, researcher, and project management consultant with over 20 years of experience managing projects in Canada and the U.S. He is a part-time faculty member at the University of Toronto, York University, Toronto Metropolitan University, and Humber College. Jamal holds an MBA and is pursuing a PhD in Psychology on artificial intelligence.

After a 4-year stint on home hemodialysis, Jamal received his kidney transplant from a deceased donor in 2022. Passionate about giving back, Jamal wants to help kidney patients and their loved ones by actively advocating for kidney care.

Dr. Amit Garg

Dr. Amit Garg is a world-renowned nephrologist and clinician-scientist with 20 years of clinical practice and over 600 published research papers.

Hi is Associate Dean, Clinical Research, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University Department of Medicine; Site Director, Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) Western Facility; Past President, Canadian Society of Nephrology; Provincial Medical Lead, ICES Provincial Kidney, Dialysis and Transplantation Program (ICES KDT); and Past Provincial Medical Lead, Access to Kidney Transplantation, Ontario Renal Network

Penny Shore

Over the past 35 years, Penny has proven herself to be an innovative and highly creative leader and business builder. She has developed organizations from concept to full operation, in both the public and private sectors, and is a highly effective sales executive, fundraiser and project manager.

Her exceptional creative abilities as a publisher have been applied to business and mass-market educational programs. Penny has experience as a custom publisher for financial, medical, and health educational programs, as well as expertise in consumer education and custom publishing.

Michael J. Tremblay

Michael has over 40 years of experience in the Canadian pharmaceutical industry. In 2018, he retired from Astellas Pharma Canada Inc. where he served as President of their Canadian operations. Michael has sat on a number of Boards, including Community & Home Assistance to Seniors (CHATS) and Innovative Medicines Canada (IMC), the organization representing the leading research-based pharmaceutical companies in Canada. He began serving on their Board in 2011 and was elected Chair of the Board in 2015 until November 2017. He currently sits on the Board at Knight Therapeutics Inc. and is an advisor for a couple of early start up companies.