“June and I have been together for over forty years,” Russ said.
“We hit it from the start,” June smiled.
The happy couple is grateful for the life they have created and their countless blessings.
“I have a fantastic husband.  I have two fantastic children who married two wonderful people from fantastic families.  I have four beautiful grandchildren.  Life is good,” said the 61-year-old wife, mother and grandmother.
“Life is really good.”
This life, however, was not without heartache.  June lives with kidney disease.
“She’s had that for most of her life, and most of our marriage,” Russ said.
And June needs a transplant.
“Well now, I’ve waited nine years for a kidney,” June said, the smile gone from her expression.
“Hopefully one of these days.  But you know what?  You lose hope when you wait so long.  It’s tough,” she said, her eyes welling up with emotion.
After the birth of her second child in 1989, June felt uncharacteristically exhausted.  A doctor diagnosed her with IgA nephropathy, a disease caused by her body’s immune system attacking her kidneys.
“And that was the beginning of my kidney disease.  I had to watch my diet, I was on medication for high blood pressure, but for the next ten years I was pretty well,” June said.
“We were even planning a move to the US, until I spoke to my specialist,” June said.
“He said, ‘No, that’s not going to happen.’ And I said, ‘What do you mean?’ He said, ‘You’re going to go on dialysis.’
“It was a complete shock to me.  We had never even discussed dialysis before.’
When June’s kidneys finally stopped working, her doctor’s predictions were confirmed.
“Within two years, I was on dialysis,” he said.
However, within six months of starting dialysis, June would receive life-changing news.  A donor match had been found.  June will receive a kidney from a deceased donor.
She still remembers coming home from her son’s hockey practice and being greeted by her daughter.
“I opened the garage door and my daughter was there.  He said “Mom, did you hear the news?  A kidney is waiting for you.”
“For him to appear so quickly, it was unbelievable.  It was a miracle,” June said.
“On the way to the hospital I said to my husband, ‘Our lives are going to change again.’
And indeed, their lives changed.
The transplant marked the end of dialysis and the beginning of freedom for June and Russ.  The long sessions on a dialysis machine were over.  Travel and spontaneous outings were again possible.
“During this time, it was a very emotional experience for both of us.  We actually moved to California for three years,” Russ said.
“Life was great.  We could travel everywhere.  Oh, it was fantastic,” June said.
But in 2013, June became increasingly unwell.  Her transplant failed.
“We came back from the United States in 2010 and in 2013 I lost my kidney.
“I was very sick and one day I got a call from one of the nurses at the transplant clinic.  He asked to come inside.
“He told me I was losing my kidney.  I asked how long I had and he said six weeks, maximum,” June recalls.
“I think I had a month and it’s gone.  This was devastating.  Devastating.”
“Her original transplant lasted just 15 years,” said her husband Russ.
Every other day, for several hours straight, June undergoes home dialysis — a machine that cleans her blood while she rests or sleeps.  It can be uncomfortable, restrictive and sometimes painful.  Had severe headaches while using it.
Doctors at The Ottawa Hospital have been “amazing” in helping June navigate dialysis.
“I don’t know what I’d do without them,” June said.
Dialysis isn’t a permanent solution, but until June gets a transplant, it’s her only option.
“This is my life. I can’t really do anything because I have to be home for dialysis. It definitely makes life more difficult, but I’m still alive and today is a good day,” she said.
Russ helps June set up the dialysis machine every time, offering tireless love and support.
“I give her full credit that she has a lot of trouble,” he said.
“He’s absolutely amazing.  Oh my God, he is definitely my savior,” June said.
June is on a Canada-wide waiting list for a donor kidney and what’s called a “high awareness” list, but finding a matching donor is a challenge.
“I had two pregnancies, five blood transfusions and one transplant.  That puts more antibodies in my system and they fight other organs, so it’s really hard to fit in,” June said.
“They actually had fifteen people give me a kidney.  No match yet.  Well, now I’ve been waiting nine years.  Hopefully one of these days, but you lose hope when you wait that long,” June said.
June’s immediate family members do not match.  Neither did any of her eight siblings.
“Her siblings have a different blood type, so while several of them wanted to donate, they couldn’t,” Russ said.
“It could happen tomorrow.  it could never happen.
“It’s not the best life anyone can have, but we try to enjoy it as much as we can.”
Russ was Shopify’s first CFO before his retirement.  He is also a board member of the Ottawa Hospital Foundation.  The Jones family recently made a $10 million donation to help build the new hospital.
“Everyone will be touched by a hospital at some point in their lives,” he said.
Half of the Jones family’s transformational gift will support kidney research and the ongoing mission to find a cure.
“To make advances on the kidney disease side, but also on the clinical side, to improve the lives of people on dialysis,” Russ said.
“And hopefully this will turn into something where you don’t have to wait for someone to die to get an organ.  Maybe there is a way to do it artificially or a way to do it through some other mechanism.  We have some incredible research talent and it’s very rewarding to see some of their progress.”
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for people to support The Ottawa Hospital,” he said.
For now, June Jones continues to wait.
“It’s hard.”
The nine-year-old middle child of a tight-knit Ottawa Valley farm family tries to stay strong for her loving husband, children and grandchildren.
“I’m a fighter.”
And now, with this family, June fights for the ultimate prize.
“My biggest hope today is to get a transplant,” he said.
“It’s an amazing miracle when you get that kidney, when you get that call.”
The Campaign to Create Tomorrow in support of The Ottawa Hospital has now raised $233 million of its $500 million goal.  You can learn more at ohfoundation.ca