On Nov. 19, 2010, Hermann Nieweler got the call that changed his life.
“I got a phone call at 7 o’clock in the morning, and the lady from the hospital said ‘Don’t have breakfast, come to the hospital right away. There’s a kidney on the plane in a bucket full of ice, and it’s your match.’”
The jazz club owner had been waiting for almost four years.
The transplant was a success.
“I can’t believe that one signature on a donor card made such a difference to my life,” he said.
Tomorrow (April 21), Nieweler will give back to the Kidney Foundation of Canada, with a full day of music at his Hermann’s Jazz Club. There will be speakers and music throughout.
A long lineup of musicians performs from 1 to 7 p.m. including the Tom Vickery Trio.
Taking the stage from 7 to 11 p.m. is Hermann’s Kidney Foundation Jazz All-star quartet, featuring 2012 Juno winners Phil Dwyer, Miles Black, Sean Drabitt and Kelby MacNayr.
Cover charge is $20 for the early set, $25 for the late set or $40 for all day.
All proceeds from the door go to the Kidney Foundation.
April 22 to 28 is National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week in B.C. There are currently 430 people on the transplant waiting list.
For more information about the concert, visit www.hermannsjazz.com. For information on the foundation or kidney donation, visit kidney.ca/page.aspx?pid=276.
rholmen@vicnews.com