[imagesource:leonmcgowran]

In the United Kingdom, there are around 7 000 people waiting for a kidney transplant and finding a donor before the inevitable is nearly impossible.

Lucy Humphrey was on dialysis and suffering from kidney failure after fighting lupus (a disease that occurs when your body’s immune system attacks its own tissues and organs) for the last 15 years.

She was on the list waiting for a rare kidney donation, with her doctor telling her she likely only has five years left.

A surgeon even told her that it was a one-in-22 million chance to find the perfect donor match since she was suffering from lupus.

Then an almost unbelievable miracle happened. Lucy’s pet Doberman, Indie, kept approaching a stranger at the beach, and the woman turned out to be a perfect kidney donor match.

Image: Leon McGowran

Metro reported that Katie James turned out to be that one-in-22 million perfect match for Lucy and had only recently joined the organ donor register (!!). Here’s the amazing story:

Lucy, 44, was visiting Cold Knap beach, Barry Island, South Wales, with her partner Cenydd Owen, and went over to apologise to Katie because her dog kept on bothering her.

The couple invited Katie to join their barbecue and Lucy, from Newport, explained: ‘She brought some drink over with her and offered me some.

‘Cenydd explained I couldn’t drink as I was on dialysis. He said she’s waiting for a kidney transplant.
‘Katie replied “That’s mad, I’ve just gone on the kidney donation register”.’

Cenydd asked her who Katie was donating her kidney to and Katie said ‘anyone who wants it’ – so they swapped numbers and contacted a donor coordinator the next day.

Lucy added: ‘She had all the tests and it turned out she was a perfect match.

Katie said that she’s a dog lover so she was very happy when Indie came over to her while she was sitting there crocheting, minding her own business:

“One doctor said it was the hand of God — more like the hand of dog if you ask me,” said Katie.

Katie said that she had wanted to donate a kidney since she first heard it was a “thing” over 20 years ago, and was already put in for a pooled donation to a stranger when COVID-19 came and put a major halt on things.

Katie /Image: Leon McGowran

But then Indie came along:

‘Lucy spends three days a week for four hours a day, hooked up to dialysis. That sounds like my idea of hell.’ [said Katie].

‘I’m excited I can give Lucy the camping life I’ve enjoyed these past few years and she’s excited to be able to pee like a normal person – though that novelty will wear off soon, I’m sure.

Lucy/ Image: Leon McGowran

The two women had their transplant at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff last October. Lucy is now fully recovered and living a normal life, able to enjoy a gin and tonic again.

Dog read backwards is god, after all.

[source:metro]