This Cree pastor needed a kidney. His friend gave him one.

Gordon Petawabano and Paul Racine have been friends and colleagues for over 20 years, serving the Cree community as pastors in Mistissini, Quebec.

They share a passion for connecting with young people through faith and helped create a summer Bible camp called Sonrise Camp.

All that was interrupted when doctors told Petawabano, who is Cree, that his kidney was failing.

“I was told I had to be on dialysis about two years ago… I had to leave my job in Mistissini because… I had to be here in Montreal to receive treatment,” Petawabano said.

The last three years were spent innumerable hospital visits and dialysis treatments three to four times a week. It was tiring and often depressing, Petawabano said.

“I had a hard time accepting it at first. I thought, ‘(God) why are you doing this to me?'” he said.

For Racine, watching his friend’s health and faith deteriorate was difficult.

“He went through a very dark time, struggling to understand his own relationship with the Lord while all of this was happening,” said Racine, who is originally from Ottawa.

Petawabano has been put on a waiting list for a kidney donation.

‘I need you’

One night last summer during Sonrise camp, Racine couldn’t fall asleep knowing his friend was in the hospital instead of running the camp.

Racine came out of his cabin.

“I prayed and thought about it. Then I went outside with my phone to try to find an internet signal,” Racine said.

He Googled how old you are to be a living donor. Racine, who is 67, found the age to be 75.

After speaking with his wife and sons, Racine called Petawabano to tell him he wanted to donate his kidney.

Petawabano and his family were shocked by the offer.

“I told him, ‘Your people and your children need you,'” Petawabanos said.

“He said to me, ‘Gordon, we’ve been working together for 20 years now, I need you,'” he added.

Racine knew that his blood type made him a universal donor. After talking to both families, they decided to try the kidney transplant.

For a year, both men underwent numerous tests every month.

Before the operation, Racine began to struggle with the fear that he would not survive.

“I hadn’t been in a hospital since I was a kid. I thought, ‘Let’s enjoy the trip,'” Racine said.

As he prepared for surgery, Racine turned to humor to deal with his fears, telling the hospital staff, “I’m here for a tummy tuck,” adding that they all burst out laughing.

The operation was a success for both men.

“The kidney started all by itself. That’s a miracle in itself,” the doctor told me, “and it was all working within two minutes.”

Finding Hope in Healing

Both men are recovering differently. Racine has been experiencing pain and his energy is slowly returning to normal.

Petawabano was more energetic than before.

“My kids and my wife tell me to slow down because I walk seven to eight kilometres a day,” said Petawabano, who before dialysis walked up to 15 kilometres a day.

The whole experience brought the two men closer together.

“I feel a new dimension in our relationship,” Racine said.

For Petawabano, not only was his physical strength renewed, but so was his faith.

“At first I blamed God, now I thank Him. I’m more likely (to connect with people) because I understand what they’re going through,” Petawabano said.

Petawabano plans to share her story with others who are also battling diabetes and kidney failure.

Both pastors are already planning this year’s Sonrise Camp.

“(Our goal) is to help (young people) through their stories find healing,” Racine said.

“And in that healing, they find hope. In that hope, they find a renewed sense of purpose and passion for what they love to do.”

Petawabano plans to return to Mistissini, where he will return to work as an assistant pastor in his local church.

“The work I do motivates me more than ever,” Petawabano said.