A woman who donated her kidney to a complete stranger she met by chance on the beach has revealed it has been a “gift” to see the recipient thrive and live his life to the fullest.
Katie James, 41, from Barry, Wales, told FEMAIL the kind gesture “hasn’t made any difference to her life”, while also giving her the pleasure of seeing Lucy Humphrey, 44, who only He had five years to live, feeling better.
‘I don’t know what made me do it!’ she revealed. ‘He was probably a teenager when I first investigated him. I always wanted to do it.’
She admitted that there was no “legacy” or anyone special in her life that made her want to give up her kidney. They just looked down on her for wanting to do something good for someone.
The couple met by chance when they were both in their vans on the beach in 2020.
Katie James (right), 41, from Barry, Wales, told FEMAIL the kind gesture “hasn’t made any difference to her life”, while also giving her the pleasure of seeing Lucy Humphrey (left), from 44 years old, who only had five years left. live – feel better
Katie said she is not normally one to socialize but was encouraged to chat to Lucy and her partner after their dog kept running over.
Eventually, the two women started chatting and Lucy revealed that she was on dialysis after Katie offered her a drink.
She had suffered kidney failure after being diagnosed with lupus, a condition that causes inflammation of the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys and joints.
Katie then explained that she had considered donating a kidney a year earlier and had already attended a few appointments.
The couple exchanged numbers and decided to stay in touch. Just two months later, Katie was revealed to be the perfect match.
“The difference in her has been amazing,” he said of seeing Lucy after the procedure. “She’s been in the van a lot longer.”
Katie also added that being on dialysis “isn’t life” and that it was a small gesture on her part that changed someone’s life completely.
He explained that he can still live his life normally and even enjoy a drink; the only reminder is a “small scar on the belly.”
The couple exchanged numbers and decided to stay in touch. Just two months later, Katie was revealed to be the perfect match.
After Katie volunteered, the two women were admitted to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff on October 3, 2022.
Having been used to the procedures having had to undergo eye surgeries before, Katie was also familiar with the more technical side of things.
Katie admits that while many of her friends “really didn’t want her to do it,” she hoped a stranger would also do the same for her.
To pay her back, Lucy appeared on an episode of Woodland Workshop this month to gift crochet enthusiast Katie her own handmade needles and a storage box.
“I would like to make a gift for someone special to me, Katie,” he told the show. ‘She donated a kidney to me last year. I was on dialysis for five and a half years.
“I was a complete stranger…the doctors told us that the chances of us meeting on the beach and ending up being a perfect match were actually one in 22 million.”
Later on the show, an emotional Katie received a beautiful handmade box, which included driftwood from the beach where they met.
‘It’s so beautiful and it was made for me!’ She exclaimed. “Everything is absolutely perfect.”
Previously, speaking to the Daily Mail, Lucy revealed how her partner Cenydd Owen, 49, from Caerphilly, South Wales, was due to take their caravan for a weekend getaway to Aberystwyth, 90 miles away.
To pay her back, Lucy appeared on an episode of Woodland Workshop this month to gift crochet enthusiast Katie her own handmade needles and a storage box.
Later on the show, an emotional Katie received a beautiful handmade box, which included driftwood from the beach where they met.
But Lucy wasn’t well enough for the long journey, so they went to the nearest beach, where Katie was sitting on a deck chair knitting a blanket.
“Indie kept approaching this woman about 100 meters away; we were calling her but she wouldn’t leave her alone,” he said.
“We thought he had food or something and in the end Cenydd came over to apologize because Dobermans can be a bit intimidating.
‘Actually, she was having a hard time too, so I invited her to our barbecue.
“She came, bought something to drink and offered me some.
‘Cenydd explained to me that he couldn’t drink because he was on dialysis. She was like, “Oh, what’s that for?” and she said she was waiting for a kidney transplant.
After Katie volunteered, the two women were admitted to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff on October 3, 2022.
The operation was a success and Lucy is now fully recovered and leading a normal, happy life.
She said: ‘I really needed this transplant, I had been on the waiting list for several years. It has already completely changed my life.”
She and her partner described Katie as a “wonderful, selfless person” who they can never thank enough.