Maple Ridge REALTOR® lauded for life-saving act of kindness

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) honoured REALTOR® Debi Pearce with the REALTORS Care® Award on August 27 for her decision to help the son of a client by donating a kidney.

The REALTORS Care® Award honours Metro Vancouver Realtors who demonstrate a sustained commitment to charitable, fundraising, or volunteer activities that strengthen communities and support people in need.

Debi Pearce, a Realtor with Royal LePage Brookside Realty in Maple Ridge, responded to a public plea from past clients who needed a kidney donor for the couple’s son.

Debi met the Dunsire family when she listed their home in 2018. At the time, their son Geoff’s health had been compromised for many years. He was on a rigorous kidney dialysis schedule. The nature of his condition meant he needed a transplant and his family weren’t a match.

“Debi’s donation helped save a person’s life. There aren’t many more words needed to describe the impact of her actions,” said Colette Gerber, REBGV Chair. “Debi is a community-builder who embodies the charitable spirit within the real estate profession.”

To qualify to be a donor, Debi underwent a personal transformation. She committed herself to physical fitness until her doctor approved her for the procedure in 2019.

Today, both Geoff and Debi are healthy. Six weeks after the operation, Geoff was dancing at a family wedding, something that seemed impossible a few months earlier.

Debi was previously honoured by Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows’ joint Municipal Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Inclusiveness as a Community Champion for her kidney donation.