Media Alert

 Thank you to all of the Media Outlets that visit this space. Michael is available to speak with you by appointment at (306) 917-8884. Please use the CONTACT link to set this up, by emailing him: mrgaudet@gmail.com.  

Check this recent video from "Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life" with host Stephanie Danielle MoDavis  https://bit.ly/2H1r6m2

As the momentum in his dual careers as a painter of monumental murals and now, as the published author of his first two books (with a 3rd in the works... to constitute the "Trilogy") continues to dramatically accelerate, he is confident that your time will be very well-spent with a personal call to him.  

Gaudet has lived and worked in Central Saskatchewan (at The Resort Village of Manitou Beach) for over 20 years with his wife Sharon Gibson. 

"I don't want to be known as 'the guy with kidney disease' but rather, 'the artist and author who is working hard to raise awareness of kidney health' "

 If the spirit moves you to be tested, please call the St. Paul’s Hospital Living Donor Assessment Coordinator (Darlene) at: 

306-655-5740. 

Kidney dialysis is a part of life for local resident

By Daniel Bushman Apr. 10, 2017

For the past few years, Manitou Beach resident, artist and author Michael Gaudet has been faced with the decision of life or death. Choosing life, Gaudet makes the trek to Saskatoon three times a week for kidney dialysis. As March marked National Kidney Month, Gaudet continued to travel the over 600 kilometres each week to receive dialysis. Unfortunately for Michael, this is not a new occurrence as he was faced with a similar experience earlier in life.
At 19 years old, Gaudet was living and working in Toronto, Ont. when he was told at Sunnybrook Medical Center that he had end stage renal failure and emergency life-saving dialysis was required. The blood cleansing and fluid retention control therapy was initiated to try and buy some time for Gaudet while he waited for a kidney donor and transplant. 
“Only seven months later, which seemed like an  eternity at the time, my brother Steven donated a kidney to me. This gift of life sustained my health and vitality for over 34 years, a longevity record in Western Canada.”
However, while the Manitou Beach resident was able to do enjoy his life and create masterpieces with his paint brush, in May of 2014 his kidney function had deteriorated to the point where he needed to return to weekly dialysis treatments three times a week. Gaudet began his routine of travelling to St. Paul’s Hospital in Saskatoon each week, remaining a dialysis patient with no real end in sight. 
“I am on the kidney transplant waiting list but the average waiting time is anywhere from three and five years, though that is no guarantee. When people ask me if I am still attending dialysis three times a week, I say, ‘Well, it is a case of dialysis do or die!’”
The long road to what Gaudet hopes is an eventual recovery has provided a bit of a positive note as the now author purchased a laptop and began typing his handwritten notes which formed a book.
Called ‘Dancing with Rejection: A Beginner’s Guide to Immortality,’ the book is a memoir penned by Gaudet that provides detail of his near-death experience but also how human triumph beat adversity with his kidney transplant. “It is a story of my eventual rise to become a painter of monumental murals. This was my way of leaving my mark on the mortal world after my close brush with an early demise.”
Gaudet’s first book was also written in an effort to provide a realistic story of severely deteriorating health before coming back in a healthy way, “My hope is that every dialysis patient will have an opportunity to read about my recovery so that they will have their hopes bolstered.”
With many turning the pages of Gaudet’s first published work, the author has now turned his focus towards his second of three books called, ‘A Work in Progress: The Life my Brother Saved.’ Slated to be released in the summer, Gaudet has already sold 100 advanced signed copies and a benefactor who read the first book came forward to cover the production costs. 
“The theme of book two is a continuation of my evolving career as a mural painter and includes the story of the truly monumental mural that I designed and painted at Sacred Heart Chaldean Catholic Church in Saskatoon. The story of my wildly successful kidney transplant also looms large in the story. In this way, I wish to insinuate the kidney health phenomenon once again in a literary setting.”
With the month of March highlighting all things kidneys, the strong advocate said not only is he writing books but also reaching out on social media. About three years ago and while he was still a transplant recipient and doing well, Michael’s wife Sharon encouraged him to have a peer-to-peer support group for kidney patients and their families on Facebook. Taking her advice Gaudet created ‘Kidney Transplant Donors and Recipients.’ Within a year, the group had 900 members from every corner of the planet. Now, the group has grown exponentially to include over 14,000 members. 
“KTDR has evolved to become the busiest place on the ‘net for all things kidney. It is always very inspiring to read about people who, after such a long wait, finally receive that elusive gift of life. Every time I witness this miracle in real time, I think, someday I will get the call.”
Until that call comes for Michael, Gaudet said he will continue to raise awareness of kidney health.  By the end of 2012, there were more than 41,000 people living with end-stage renal failure in Canada. Of those, 42 percent were living with a kidney transplant while 58 percent were on dialysis. People with a kidney transplant cost the health care system about $50,000 less per year.”
Until that transplant comes for Michael, he continues to try and find his own way to the city.
While there are things to do in Saskatoon, Gaudet hopes that the three trips each week will  come to an end sooner than later. “Think about it. An in-unit dialysis patient is really left with no other choice than to commit to attending three times a week, and this includes travel time to and from. So, we are obligated to sit in the chair, tethered to a machine, for four hours each time. Many of us read, nap, or work on our portable devices. I made a decision when I started back on dialysis to stay busy and focused on my laptop. So, in a very positive twist, I am making the best of a challenging situation by remaining productive when I have the energy!”
While Gaudet is able to write his books when he is able and feels up to it, the re is no say in whether or not he can stay home one week instead of travelling to Saskatoon. His only other alternative is receiving a kidney transplant which can only occur from a living donor or a deceased one. 
Despite waiting day after day and having to receive dialysis three times each week, Gaudet remains busy in other ways, painting commissions over the winter and into the spring and summer.