{"id":1799,"date":"2025-11-10T16:13:48","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T21:13:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fondationduchum.com\/?post_type=testimonial&p=1799"},"modified":"2026-03-25T13:39:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T17:39:30","slug":"denis-cormier-piche","status":"publish","type":"testimonial","link":"https:\/\/fondationduchum.com\/en\/why-give\/your-testimonials\/denis-cormier-piche\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting his life back from HIV"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\u201cI want us to continue to grow our understanding of HIV so that we can finally eradicate this devastating disease for good. Together, we have the power to do this!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Denis Cormier-Pich\u00e9 who received North America\u2019s first-ever HIV-positive to HIV-positive organ transplant at the CHUM<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Getting his life back from HIV<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was discovered in the early 80s, global efforts and major investments in research have helped turn the deadly disease into a manageable chronic illness. Now, HIV positive people can expect to live just as long as their peers who don\u2019t have HIV. Denis is a striking example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Denis, who is 68 years old, learned that he was HIV-positive in 2001. At first, he didn\u2019t tell anyone about his diagnosis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Denis developed symptoms of kidney failure from infection in 2007. For three years, he was on dialysis, followed a strict diet of potassium and phosphorus, and drank no more than a litre of liquid a day\u2014which kept him in a state of constant thirst. That is, until the CHUM broke surgical ground and radically changed Denis\u2019s life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Denis had been waiting three years for a kidney when his doctors finally found him a donor. Only one problem: the donor also had HIV, and an organ transplant between two HIV-positive people had never been tried at the CHUM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Denis became the first HIV-positive person in North America to receive a kidney transplant from an HIV-positive donor. This operation saved his life and gave him a quality of life he could never have dreamed of before. That\u2019s when he made the decision to step out of the shadows and speak publicly about his experience to help destigmatize people living with HIV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThanks to the CHUM, I received some of the most advanced care out there. There is no treatment yet that can eradicate HIV, so research remains our greatest hope. Research is the source of new solutions like the organ transplant I received.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Denis checks back in with the CHUM every six months, including to monitor his new organ and his chronic HIV infection. If he can maintain an undetectable viral load, he can\u2019t pass the virus on to anyone else. For many years, Denis worked for an organization fighting homophobia and transphobia. Now retired, he generously dedicates part of his free time to the CHUM, acting as a patient partner for a number of projects and committees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cOur healthcare system has a real culture of innovation and it\u2019s that culture is in full swing at the CHUM. I really care about making a difference there, for all the patients who will come after me.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Acting faster than HIV means continuing to invest in research that has the potential to save lives\u2014lives like Denis\u2019s. Thanks to your donations, a future where HIV is a curable disease is right around the corner.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Give now for immunopathology<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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