Transplant subject.
Born at Winnipeg on 2 August 1974 to Rene and Joan Connell, his lungs were severely damaged in a fire when he was five, and in 1991 at age 17 he received a double-lung transplant at Toronto General Hospital, having been on the wait list since 1989. In 1994 he graduated from Transcona Collegiate.
Although he was able to continue his education by attending the University of Winnipeg and the applied multimedia program at Red River Community College, his new lungs were ultimately rejected, and in 1995 he was placed back on the donor waiting list. On 4 July 1997 he received a new left lung at the Health Sciences Centre. Throughout his years of treatment, he often defied his doctors’ expectations. The Winnipeg Free Press helped to support his transplants by establishing the “Chance for Cory” fund, which allowed the public to make financial donations. The Red River Community College Students’ Association similarly set up the Cory Connell Fund.
He was knowledgeable and an expert on many subjects, including history, business, and sciences. He was a master at trivia games, as well as an avid fan of hockey and football, sports he studied relentlessly. In his youth he bowled with Transcona Youth Bowl Canada and participated in the 1985 provincial bowling championship.
His feisty spirit and determination to continue fighting his medical battles were what inspired his family and those who knew him. It is expected that the many volumes of data collected from his condition and his transplant process benefitted others who needed similar treatment.
He died at Winnipeg on 7 September 2008 and was buried in the St. Boniface Cemetery.
“Surgery offers hope,” Winnipeg Free Press, 18 December 1989.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 10 September 2008.
“Cory Jeffrey Connell,” FindAGrave.
This page was prepared by Lois Braun.
Page revised: 26 November 2024
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