Nurse at Tooting's St George's donates kidney to stranger
A kind-hearted nurse at Tooting’s St George’s Hospital has donated her kidney to a stranger, as a thank you for someone doing the same for her husband – with both operations taking place on the same day at the hospital.
Filipinas Nercua’s generous act came after she volunteered to donate a kidney to her husband, Cesar – but they were incompatible due to their different blood groups.
When Filipinas discovered she was instead able to donate a kidney to someone else who shared her blood group, she decided to ‘pass on the kindness’ when a match was found for Cesar.
Full story via St George’s.
Filipinas’ incredible act of kindness was made possible through the NHS Kidney Sharing Scheme which is run by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT).
The scheme helps people receive a kidney transplant when a willing donor isn’t a direct match for them.
Normally, a living donor gives a kidney to someone they know, but when they are not compatible the scheme matches pairs in the same situation with others across the UK.
Figures released by NHSBT show there is a record high of more than 8,200 people waiting for an organ transplant, with 6,500 of those people waiting for a kidney.
One in every three kidney transplants in the UK is from a living donor, but many people are unaware that it could be an option for them.
For more information about the Kidney Sharing Scheme, visit NHS Organ Donation.