Organ donor makes Guinness World Record bicycle trip from Vancouver to Montreal

After saving his friend’s life with one of his kidney’s, a Sherbrooke, Que. man is cycling home from Vancouver to raise awareness for organ donation.

Stéphane Hébert is setting out on a 4760-kilometre journey from Vancouver to Montreal, as he attempts to set the Guinness World Record for the longest bike ride by an organ donor.

Four years ago, Hébert donated a kidney to a friend to save their life. Now, he’s trying to prove to the world that donating an organ did not slow him down — in fact, he says it made him better.

“I want to do this to show people that even though I’ve donated a kidney, I’m capable of doing great things,” said Hébert at Vancouver’s Charleston Park before he kicked off towards Abbotsford.

“My life changed. I’m eating better. I do a little more sport; I take better care of myself. Well, because life is important… I work a little less, a little less, but I’m a little more active.”

According to BC Transplant, there are more than 600 patients in B.C. who are on the waitlist for a transplant. The organization says an organ donation doesn’t have to happen after death, and that a healthy, living donor could give a kidney, or a part of their liver, to save someone’s life.

“Living donors are tested extensively to make sure they’re healthy enough. So really, the people who are able to donate are the healthiest out of all of us in society,” said Elaine Yong, Manager of Communications at BC Transplant.

Hébert will be making stops in Calgary, Winnipeg, and Ottawa before reaching his destination.

He is also raising funds for La Maison Des Greffes, a care centre for transplant patients in Montreal.