Dog helps save owner's life after it sniffs ‘one-in-22-million’ kidney donor match
Woman wants her experience to be a message to others not to give up hope
A pet dog in the United Kingdom with an amazing sense of smell saved the life of her owner after the canine found her a “one-in-22-million” kidney donor with just a sniff.
Lucy Humphrey, 44, who suffers from lupus since 2000, and was diagnosed with end-stage renal failure in 2017, has been on the waiting list for a kidney donor.
According to a report by Wales Online, Lucy and her husband, Cenydd Owen, had to cancel their campervan trips because of her frequent dialysis appointments.
However, one day, when they went to Barry’s Beach with their two Dobermans, their dog named Indie began pestering a nearby campervan.
Katie James, 40, was sitting and crocheting when Indie kept going to her back and forth.
“Indie went over like three times, back and forward to her,” Lucy said in an interview with the Daily Record.
Cenydd eventually went over to apologise, and they invited her over to their barbecue.
Katie learned that Lucy needed a kidney transplant and shared that she had recently registered as a donor. Katie told the couple that she’d love to donate if they matched.
“We swapped telephone numbers,” said Lucy, although she wasn’t expecting that much.
And after some blood work and scans, it turned out that they were a match. Lucy said that the likelihood of her meeting Katie and matching is “one in 22 million.”
Lucy expressed her gratitude towards Katie for the life-changing donation, saying that she had almost given up hope.
“I’m so grateful for her … I told my partner in 2019 if I didn’t find a transplant within five years it was possible something would happen and I would die,” she said.
Message of hope
Lucy wants her experience to be a message to others not to give up hope, even when the situation seems impossible.
“I want this to be a message to other people not to give up hope,” she added.
Katie, who was originally scheduled for a pooled donation, was happy to have donated to someone she knew and could follow up with, instead of a stranger. She also expressed her joy at how the donation had affected Lucy's life positively.
“[N]ot only do I know who it’s gone to but I know how she’s doing and how it’s affected her life … I could’ve only imagined it before with a stranger,” Katie said.
Marvin Joseph Ang is a news and lifestyle writer who focuses on politics, the economy, and pop culture. Follow him on Twitter at @marvs30ang for latest news and updates.
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