Amanda Carroll—better known by her stage name Maggie Sue Sin—is a beloved figure in the Ottawa punk, rockabilly, and burlesque communities, and it’s been about a decade since she last took the stage in Cornwall. Now, Amanda is fighting for her life.
Amanda has been living with kidney failure for over three years, a result of complications from Type 1 Diabetes. Her illness has taken a heavy toll on her health and quality of life. In May 2024, she was given a second chance with a long-awaited double transplant: a new pancreas and a new kidney. But just 12 days after surgery, devastating news followed—her new kidney had failed due to clotting and had to be removed.
Amanda continues to endures dialysis three times a week. Each treatment lasts four hours, during which a machine acts as her kidneys, filtering her blood through a catheter in her chest. “Kidney disease has really affected my quality of life,” she explained. “I can’t travel to visit family, I can’t swim, and I can’t work anymore because of the illness and low energy.”
Amanda is on the transplant waitlist for a deceased donor kidney—but what she truly needs is a living donor. Living donor kidneys have better long-term outcomes, and the wait time is also drastically shorter. With a living donor, Amanda could receive a transplant within months instead of years, and avoid many of the long-term health risks associated with extended dialysis.
Importantly, if Amanda receives a kidney from a living donor, she will be removed from the deceased donor list, allowing someone else to move up in line. One selfless act has the power to save two lives.
Amanda’s blood type is O+, and she needs a living donor who is either O+ or O-. Donors must be between the ages of 16 and 60, in good health, and have no history of diabetes, cancer (melanoma), kidney, or heart disease. The donor does not need to be a relative or of the same ethnicity. Even people who are not eligible to donate blood may still qualify as living kidney donors.
Amanda, who lives in Ottawa, loves soup and swimming. She dreams of the day she can return to the water, go paddleboarding, ride her bike, and take long walks again. “My life has become so very small since my illness and being on dialysis,” she said. “I am only 43 and have so much more living that I want to do.”
Amanda has been on her own since she was 16 and has worked full-time since she was 17. Both of her parents passed away in 2017, just six months apart. She now shares a home with her younger brother, who has a heart condition and is unable to donate. Together, they care for their late mother’s dogs, Chewbarka and Blondie.
How You Can Help
Potential donors go through a thorough and confidential health assessment with an independent medical team. The process is designed to protect the donor’s health and ensure donation is safe and appropriate.
There’s also a financial reimbursement program through Trillium Gift of Life, which covers up to $6,000 in eligible expenses for both the donor and their caregiver—including travel, accommodations, meals, and income replacement. You don’t have to live in Ottawa to donate; donors from anywhere in Canada are eligible and travel expenses are reimbursed. Even if you start the screening process and decide not to go through with it, you are still eligible for reimbursement.
Amanda’s story is being shared through her Facebook page: Amanda Carroll – Living Kidney Search. Friends, family, and supporters are encouraging people to learn more, share her story, and help give her another chance at life.
For questions about living kidney donation, contact the Ottawa Hospital Renal Transplant Program
at 613-738-8400 ext. 81744 or ext. 82778. To learn more about the living donor process and read stories from donors and recipients across Canada, visit greatactions.ca and giftoflife.on.ca.
“Thank you for reading,” Amanda said in a donor post. “If you are thinking of being a kidney donor, I would love to hear from you and have the opportunity to resume a normal life.”
