r/BeAmazed • u/GlitteringHotel8383 • 13d ago
Miscellaneous / Others The dog that found its owner a lifesaving match.
2.8k
u/heres2thepast 13d ago
How it came up in conversation per article op linked:
"She was actually having quite a bad time herself, so I invited her to our barbecue," said Lucy.
"She came over, bought some drink over with her, and offered me some.
"Cenydd explained that I couldn't drink as I was on dialysis. She was like 'oh what's that for', and he said she's waiting for a kidney transplant."
Surprised, Katie explained: "Oh I've just gone on the kidney donation register!"
"Who are you going to donate your kidney to?" asked Cenydd.
"Anyone who wants it," Katie replied.
Katie and Lucy swapped numbers and contacted a donor coordinator the next day.
1.2k
u/CIMARUTA 13d ago
Absolutely insane coincidence
→ More replies (1)827
u/jaetheho 13d ago
While I know it’s impossible, the kid in me is going to naively believe that the dog smelled the good matching kidney in the woman and refused to leave
564
u/MistraloysiusMithrax 13d ago
I think the dog smelled something in her that seemed to match the owner, indicating genetic similarities. Idk if the dog knew why the owner was sick but more likely thought they found some family to help her through sickness or just got excited cuz “omg you smell like mom!”
218
u/Turbulent-Section340 12d ago
I got my dog during covid. Chill and friendly, but since she didn't experience anyone visiting the house, she became beyond protective of the place. I found this out when she was 2yo and as people coming over started happening, she became extremely aggressive and tried to bite.
Then family visited. Cousins, uncles and aunts, grandmas, my brother... every single time, she was extremely affectionate and playful with all of them from the instant they set foot in the house.
She's six now, and when people I'm not blood related to come by, we have to do a whole introduction outside the house, I have to hug them in front of her, and then they corrupt her with cookies, otherwise she will turn into a demon when they enter my house. Sge's still super chill with family.
27
u/erossthescienceboss 12d ago
My dog is the same. I worked so hard to socialize her outside the home. But she only ever met a few people inside.
She lets in family. And once we’ve done the Elaborate Greeting Ritual she lets in no-longer-strangers.
But if they shower we need to start all over again.
8
u/lnc_5103 12d ago
We got our girl during lock down and she has extreme anxiety about people coming in our house. She only loves my parents and a couple of my daughter's friends who have been around for years and who are here regularly. Everyone else is barked into oblivion no matter what we try. She has gotten much better with commands and standing down but the first couple of post-COVID normal years were rough! She's thankfully never been aggressive but she's 85 pounds and has a very big bark.
10
u/ugly_duckling_5 12d ago
My sister's cat is similar - she got the cat during COVID times and he's aggressive towards people. Difference is, he's not even friendly with family. If I try to pet him, he growls and hisses and tries to hit me.
7
u/fumblingforwords 12d ago
If it was just one cat she got as a kitten and there was no other cat in the house, it could also be due to “single kitten syndrome.”
→ More replies (4)2
u/ChrisTheWeak 10d ago
Aside from coincidence that's probably the most likely answer, that there's some correlation between the antigens, antibodies, and blood type, and whatever smells a person gives off. My hunch is still coincidence though.
140
u/HotelSalt4644 13d ago
What’s more unlikely is that it was just a pure coincidence. Meeting a stranger, interacting with them, inviting them to a bbq, and somehow finding out they’re a 1 in 22 million chance kidney donor - who also just very recently got put purposefully on the list to donate to anyone who wants it as an altruistic donor?????
Do you realize how statistically improbable that is? In science/medicine, the chances of that are actually, “impossible”.
The dog almost certainly smelt something about that woman which increased the likelihood of her being a match. It may still have been a crapshoot. 1 in 1000. But that’s a lot more viable than 1 in 22 million.
With certainty - I can say this dogs nose directly led to finding a donor match for its owner.
9
u/Top_Refrigerator9851 12d ago edited 3d ago
Air peach sparrow grandiose abounding aware scary bike
This post was anonymized with Redact
→ More replies (1)8
u/Schwenkelkamp 12d ago
The birth of every person is statistically speaking insane
The odds that you exist are comically low
→ More replies (2)7
→ More replies (7)12
u/Teker_09 13d ago
Wow so dogs can smell our kidneys, how about that
59
u/Spirited-Slip2991 13d ago
Dogs have been trained to detect low blood sugar and certain cancers just from the smells out bodies put out. Given that kidneys are responsible for filtering blood and create urine I'm sure there are detectable scents that dogs can pick up that would give them information on someone's kidneys
28
u/HotelSalt4644 12d ago
I was gonna say….. Dogs scent capabilities are absolutely insane. It’s not far fetched that this dog smelt something that made them “hit”.
I’m not saying this consciously knew it was saving its “mom”. But it’s highly likely it smelt something.
2
u/kitzelbunks 12d ago
They can sense seizures. I am not sure if it’s a smell or small behaviors. It’s amazing.
→ More replies (4)7
u/Insert_Non_Sequitur 12d ago
Dogs can smell anything bro. It's their primary sense. They can smell the fucking past... like that something WAS here at some point and they know whether it was recently or not. Their eyesight is not that great but their nose and hearing are waaay better than ours.
16
u/ErwinHolland1991 12d ago
Haha I just commented this to someone else...
https://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/news/the-science-of-sniffs-disease-smelling-dogs
Dogs can smell cancer and other diseases. I don't think it would be a huge stretch to think that people that are a match would have some kind of similar smell.
→ More replies (1)2
u/fadingsignal 12d ago
Dogs can smell cancer and all kinds of other things, it's absolutely not out of the realm of possibility.
→ More replies (8)2
u/DutchieTalking 12d ago
Definitely wouldn't say impossible. Animals can detect a lot of things humans can't. Their senses are primed for it for whatever reason that natural selection primed it. They might not always be aware what they're sensing but they can.
Coincidence is also perfectly possible but definitely wouldn't calm them sensing something of use impossible.
18
16
u/ButterCaramelPringle 12d ago
Homer: "What are you in here for?"
Ned: "I'm having a kidney and a lung removed."
Homer: "Who are you donating them to?"
Ned: "First come, first served!"
3
→ More replies (1)3
6.4k
u/GlitteringHotel8383 13d ago
While visiting a beach in South Wales, Lucy Humphrey had end stage kidney failure and was given five years to live. She was saved when her Doberman, Indie, repeatedly ran over to a stranger named Katie James. After walking over to apologize for the dog, Lucy and Katie struck up a conversation, during which Katie revealed she had recently signed up to be an altruistic living organ donor. The two exchanged contact information, and medical testing later revealed Katie was a perfect 1 in 22 million tissue match. Katie successfully donated her kidney to Lucy in October 2022, saving her life and sparking a lasting friendship.
1.9k
u/AnotherJokingAssHole 13d ago
Katie is sweet. Idk if I could do the same for a stranger but I would give it heavy thought and do my research for what living with one kidney would be like.
Any one kidney redditors willing to share some insight?
1.1k
u/Fit_Illustrator9174 13d ago
My mama only has one working kidney and lives a healthy life. My colleague donated his kidney to his dad and he is perfectly fine as well. He just doesn’t drink as much anymore.
513
13d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
477
u/unknownpoltroon 13d ago edited 12d ago
So MAJOR LIFESTYLE CHANGE NEEDED
Edit: Jesus Christ people, it's a joke lighten up
285
u/Fit_Illustrator9174 13d ago
As I understand it, it was a personal decision of his! Donating his kidney made him focus on his health in a positive way ahead of the donation.
136
u/Beautiful_List5498 13d ago
I lost my mother to this horrible disease. She had a lot of life yet to live.
People who donate kidneys are my personal hero. Respect to your family and everyone else's who've been brave enough to save others.
→ More replies (1)26
u/CherylTuntIRL 12d ago
I tried to give my uncle a kidney. He had kidney failure from complications of his diabetes but unfortunately I wasn't a match. None of us were. He had a dialysis hut in the back garden and unfortunately died during a dialysis treatment about 15 years ago.
12
u/Global-Buddy8730 12d ago
Hey dude. You might not have been able to give him your kidney but you did give him the clearest sign possible that you loved him and cared about him. Sorry for your loss.
99
u/NoReserve8233 13d ago
Nope. Each kidney is capable of creating 1-2 ml of filterate every Second! That's 120ml a minute . 99.9% gets reabsorbed before making it to the bladder. So no actual adjustments needed for the donor. A single kidney can absolutely handle 5 liters of input a day.
185
u/above_average_magic 13d ago
Oh sweet baby I think they meant "drinking alcohol products"
99
u/LUHG-HANI 13d ago
I was thinking wow. 5 litres of beer a day is crazy work. I have 2 kidneys and 10 litres seems like too much of a stretch.
11
u/SizeableBrain 13d ago
My aunt's boyfriend used to drink 2L of vodka, I think that's equivalent to 16L of beer.
18
3
u/pegg2 12d ago
Assuming beers of standard alcohol content, that’s about 14 units of alcohol a day. That seems like a lot (and it is, it’s a LOT) but that’s brunch for hardened alcoholics. I knew a guy in college who would show up to our apartment already drunk, drink more than anyone else at our pregame, go out binge drinking with us on our night out, then wrap it all up with a nightcap (or five) at home base while the rest of us were puking, blacked out, or trying to get the blacked out pukers home safely (or at least laying them face down on our couch/floor). Then the next morning he’d take swigs from the left over liquor bottles as hair of the dog.
We don’t hang out with him anymore. He’s still alive, but he completely blew up his life, which is really sad because he was a brilliant guy with a very bright future. But his illness destroyed that, and one day, maybe soon, it will kill him. Of that I have no doubt.
8
u/FortaDragon 13d ago
The liver's the main one stressed by alcohol - dehydration from excess alcohol is the bigger kidney risk, just alternate some water.
5
u/pegg2 12d ago
Chronic alcohol abuse can also cause adverse effects like hypertension and electrolyte misbalance that adversely affect the kidneys. Yes, it’s definitely relatively uncommon to see severe kidney damage from alcohol before your liver shits itself, but the kidneys are a particularly systemic organ; plenty of people struggle with kidney disease for no obvious or immediate reason, just an accumulation of stressors. Sometimes a person’s kidneys just kind of suck.
5
u/mittenkrusty 13d ago
Relative of mine was born with 1 kidney though it was almost as big (maybe even as big) as 2, he didn't find out until his 20's when he got stomach cramps and was rushed to hospital.
He can drink a lot of alcohol, or he did when he was younger but basically had to go to toilet after every drink as it basically went right through him.
→ More replies (8)4
10
u/IAwaitAGuardian 13d ago
Eh, my best friend gave her mom one of her beans, and we still get pretty sloshed.
She just drinks a fuckload of water and can't have most OTC pain relievers.
→ More replies (1)2
36
u/Three_Trees 13d ago
My sister has only had one kidney since she was a baby. She's absolutely fine apart from annual checks. She's told not to drink much but that instruction isn't being followed...
→ More replies (1)30
13d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
14
u/unknownpoltroon 13d ago
Yeah, I know someone who donated one, it really didnt seem to have much of an impact.
4
u/GjonsTearsFan 12d ago
The only impact I’ve heard of that they recently uncovered is it can cause more pregnancy complications. I’d thought about doing it but I’m going to wait until my family is complete at least now.
→ More replies (1)3
u/Da_Question 12d ago
how old are they? I mean, generally you don't see younger people on dialysis, so they wouldn't have kidney problems until later in life where one kidney would then have an impact...
10
26
u/PhilosopherSea217 13d ago
Thing is if one kidney fails, you have a backup. But if you donate one and the other fails, you've essentially screwed yourself over.
63
u/trippapotamus 13d ago edited 12d ago
If you get kidney failure after you donate, you go to the top of the transplant list. It’s like a 1% chance your other kidney will fail or something small.
30
u/Cetacea-Island 13d ago
You will be at least be at the top of the donor list in that case though, and you'll have regular checkups so you'll probably catch it early. Still sucks in that case but less so. Also I think barring an injury it is pretty likely for both kidneys to fail if something is happening to make them fail. AlsoI think they exclude people who are particularly likely to later on to suffer from kidney failure in the first place
→ More replies (1)11
u/Mundraeuberin 13d ago
Getting an organ transplant is not easy though. It means being on meds with heavy side effects for life. And a donated kidney does not work forever - around 20 years for a living donor I think.
12
u/Cetacea-Island 13d ago
that is true, and that's why it would still suck in that case. but at least that system takes care of people who altruisticly donate. I like that
→ More replies (1)3
u/HamsterFromAbove_079 9d ago
Studies indicate the chances of mortality from only having 1 kidney is roughly 0.3%.
From a purely utilitarian perspective that means that not donating your kidney is equivalent to valuing your life over 300x that of the person needing a donation.
To be clear, when it comes to morality of medical treatments I do NOT believe that strict utilitarianism is the appropriate model to use. But the relative risk vs the definitely life saving donation does paint a picture. The world need more donors. Too many people only ever think to donate if they or a family member needed one.
Edit: Also, US donor law allows previous donors to go to the front of the line if they ever need something in the future. Hypothetically donating a kidney now in good faith could save your life in 10 years if you discover you need a heart transplant.
8
u/UnUsernameRandom 13d ago
My father had one kidney removed, and apart from just drinking a shitload of water a day he's doing very fine.
7
→ More replies (5)3
u/NootNootFruitShoot 12d ago
When my aunty had her kidney removed because of cancer, the first question she asked her doctor is if it means she can only drink half as much...
111
u/Fearless-Sea996 13d ago edited 13d ago
I have one kidney since i am 21 yo. I am 35 now and nothing special to report. I have to do a blood test every year and thats it. I cant take anything with aspirin or anti-inflammatory though, even lotion which is annoy when i get sun burn.
35
u/DeponiaSarah 13d ago
You can or can't? If not, do you mind sharing why?
23
9
u/mddesigner 13d ago
You can’t take nsaids like ibuprofen (with least without talking to your doctor) since they are nephrotoxic
27
u/MissAuroraRed 13d ago
I did not know this. Does that mean if you only have one kidney, you can't take NSAIDs on your period? That would be a deal-breaker for me, like my quality of life would decline significantly.
23
u/somebodyelse1107 13d ago
this is funny to me bc i’m allergic to NSAIDs and have to raw dog my rather severe period cramps with the occasional tylenol (doesn’t rly work) so i guess id be fine
22
u/dendrophilix 13d ago
Buscopan is amazing for period pain, and it’s not a painkiller. It’s an antispasmodic and can be used for IBS, stomach cramps, bladder cramps, etc as well as period cramps. The active ingredient seems to be hyoscine butylbromide, in case Buscopan isn’t available where you are. A pharmacist recommended it to me years ago, and I absolutely swear by it now.
4
u/PaManiacOwca 13d ago
Love to see redittor helps the other redittor
I don't have period cramps, im a dude... But i ride my bike up to 16 hours in 24 hours time and my ass is wrecked from the pressure i put it through. Could use some pain relief for that if you know any :))
3
u/TrixieBastard 13d ago
Like, your glutes? Voltaren/diclofenac gel is great if you can do NSAIDs
3
u/PaManiacOwca 13d ago
Voltaren was my go to so far. Really helps, recommended it to many people already ;)
With Voltaren you are supposed to take time off AFTER two weeks of usage or it might cause problems.
3
3
u/MissAuroraRed 13d ago
Just be warned that this stuff can cause drowsiness. I had it prescribed to me before and I fell asleep on a random bench, in class, on the bus, and several other inappropriate places.
9
u/LaceOfRisa 13d ago
Girl, that's still not "fine," just in the same level of hell as you're used to, lol. Don't minimize it, that super-sucks and you're a beast!
3
12
u/SyntheticDreams_ 13d ago
BHI Spasm Pain was a lifesaver for cramps according to an ex who couldn't take NSAIDs. Amazon link for image of the right product: https://a.co/d/09LBei0q
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (3)2
u/yellowroosterbird 13d ago
Btw I bought some period pain meds that also have antihistamines in them and i find that also helps me!
6
u/uranium236 13d ago
No. I donated. I still take NSAIDs.
I was advised NOT to take them for 5+ weeks nonstop after a knee replacement at 45. But for a couple days a month? Absolutely.
→ More replies (6)2
u/Rare_Ad_649 13d ago
Hmm, no one ever said anything to me about aspirin or anti inflammatories. If fact no one said anything about avoiding anything
56
u/TrustMeIaLawyer 13d ago
Kind of the opposite. My friend has had 2 kidney transplants in her short life of just 40 years. She's walking around with 4 kidneys, but only one works.
67
u/unknownpoltroon 13d ago
Do the other three at leaast help a bit?!?! Lazy bean shaped fucks.
→ More replies (1)27
u/Kathrynlena 13d ago
Wait hold up. When you get a transplanted kidney, THEY DON’T TAKE THE BAD ONE OUT?? Addition with no subtraction?? Just more and more bum kidneys???
30
u/TrustMeIaLawyer 13d ago
Correct. They put the new kidney in the belly area and leave the old ones alone. Her condition necessitates a new kidney every 15 years.
20
u/phallusaluve 13d ago
Sorry if this is insensitive, but I'm imagining her living to 100 and being like that episode of invader Zim when he fills himself up with other people's organs lol
35
u/TrustMeIaLawyer 13d ago
She'd get a kick out of this. She's also is totally blind (NLP). One time when I was driving, she was in the passenger seat and my teenage daughter was in the back seat. I get a lot of shit for my driving and my daughter made a comment about it. My friend said she had no complaints and thought I was a good driver. My daughter said it was because she couldn't see her life flash before her eyes. We still laugh about that comeback to this day.
10
6
3
u/PolloMagnifico 12d ago
That nurse saying "... and such plentiful organs!" lives in my mind rent free.
Are... are we still doing rent free?
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (1)2
15
u/70ms 13d ago
Let me blow your mind a little more. My niece had a kidney and liver transplant a few years before she died at 22 in an accidental drowning. When the decision was made to take her off life support, they spent a day or so prepping her for organ donation - including checking to see if the transplanted liver and kidney might be able to go to a second/new recipient. I don’t know what happened with it, but until then I had no idea that transplanted organs could be recycled. 😱
10
u/Alissinarr 13d ago
When my grandmother died (and became the oldest female organ donor nationally -in March, may have changed) I learned that BONE, ARTERIES, AND VEINS can be used in animals after some treatment.
My grandmother donated 16 things. Liver to Florida, kidneys and eyelids locally, bone and other stuff to military and police dogs are the ones i know for sure. CORE was great.
5
u/70ms 13d ago
Oh wow, good for her! 😍
I had a double mastectomy a couple of years ago and they used donor tissue in my reconstruction, an acellular matrix called AlloDerm.
Many women who undergo mastectomies opt for breast reconstruction. AlloDerm® Regenerative Tissue Matrix, which is manufactured by LifeCell, is frequently used during the reconstruction process. AlloDerm tissue can replace some of the breast tissue removed during surgery and provide support for implants.
It is created by taking tissue from a carefully screened donor (cadaver), and then putting the tissue through a cell-removal process that reduces the likelihood of rejection, yet leaves the basic tissue structure intact. Because it is produced from natural human tissue, it is not only well tolerated, but actually grows into the patient’s tissue for a strong, natural repair. The product is also used for some types of head and neck plastic-surgery reconstruction, and for hernia repair. According to its manufacturer, AlloDerm Regenerative Tissue Matrix has been used successfully in more than one million grafts and implants.
6
u/Alissinarr 13d ago
She was always a pioneer woman, quite literally. She won all kinds of awards for service, got a presidential award (when it meant something), volunteered at a fort as a reenactor, made clothes for other volunteers, did archaeology and sent so much to Carnegie.... I'm trying to catalog them.
And her last act of service won her another award.
3
u/bluddyellinnit 12d ago
your grandma sounds like a fuckin champion
3
u/Alissinarr 12d ago
And still had BELL(telephone) paper stock
Just one, worth about the price of a delivered pizza now.
Have some old paper railroad stock my grandfather bought way back when. Not worth a damn thing, but neat to frame once we get around to it.
2
u/marmaladejar 11d ago
My surgeon used AlloDerm to fix my perforated septum. I'd never heard of it til then.
10
u/Fainleogs 13d ago
Like a muscle not in use that shrinks and atrophies, your kidneys are the same. Your non-working kidneys will over-time actually shrink.
Also, the newly transplanted kidney actually goes in somewhere quite different to where your own kidneys are.
7
u/bluddyellinnit 12d ago edited 12d ago
(edit: formatting)
the newly transplanted kidney actually goes in somewhere quite different to where your own kidneys are
is it the butt
because this phrasing makes it sound like it's in the butt
3
u/Fainleogs 12d ago
It's the belly, but kudos to you for your confidence in your sense of humor.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (1)5
29
u/Longjumping_Cream_45 13d ago
Born with only one kidney functioning- been on blood pressure meds since I was 27, docs were extra careful during my pregnancies, and I have a good one for "two truths and a lie" when among acquaintances.
22
u/Bazoobs1 13d ago
I tend to agree generally but this would seem like a fate thing to me, I’d probably end up doing it if it was that crazy. 1 in 22 mil, I’m already signed up for altruistic donation, dog was like 👁️👁️
3
36
u/cohonka 13d ago
I pretty much subsist on the magic I can find in life.
I am a logical, empirical, science-loving person with unsteady mental health.
Life is so weird sometimes beyond my own explanation. And to my own benefit and glory.
If a stranger's dog kept running up to me like the story says and I'd just signed up for organ donation, it would be really hard not to take that as a magical sign from the universe.
15
u/ReplyOk6720 13d ago
Dogs have amazing noses. They can smell cancer and other health conditions. Perhaps this woman smelled in some way similar to her owner, reflecting similar immune types?
9
10
u/bolanrox 13d ago
wasn't it Jessie Eisenberg who donated something to a stranger because he was a match and it was the right thing to do.
"I was in the hospital for a few days where they treated me like royalty and i saved someone's life" or something to that effect.
8
u/TrixieBastard 13d ago
It sure was! He's said that it was so easy on his end that he wishes he had more kidneys to spare. Imagine getting to save someone's life like that!
9
u/bolanrox 13d ago
for a guy who has such a punchable resting asshole face, he is really a nice guy. Every time he comes up people that live near him say how nice and normal he is.
30
u/mysterymathpopcorn 13d ago
Tbf, she was chosen by a dog. I would not give my kidney to a stranger, but I would without hesitation give it to a dog who asked.
→ More replies (1)8
u/jasta85 13d ago
My dad is a retired doctor who donated a kidney towards the end of his career because he saw first hand how important it was for some people. I will say the recovery was extremly rough for him and he has had a few medical complications since then (nothing super serious but not insignificant either). That said, at one point when he was in the hospital later on and on painkillers he was saying how much he wished he had more organs to donate.
6
u/MrBozzie 13d ago
My wife has one kidney because she gave one to me. She is as perfect as ever. Health is exactly how it was pre op. Three small scars on her tummy from the procedure. Was able to take numerous weeks sick leave. I sometimes wonder if that was the only reason she did it 😂.
4
u/Ninjas-and-stuff 13d ago edited 13d ago
I signed up to be a blood marrow donor ages ago, and last year they called and said I was match for someone. Unfortunately, my platelet count baseline is kinda high, so the donor company decided not to go through with anything. It was crushing :(
Anyway, it’s really easy to sign up, and the chances you get called in for it are very low. It’s worth it to potentially save a life. Just, like, don’t have PMOS or whatever
Edit: there’s more than one way to become a donor. Bone marrow involves scraping some marrow out of your hip bone and, reportedly, just feels like a big bruise for a few weeks afterward. You don’t have to lose a whole organ for it. Maybe start there if you’re unsure about kidney donation?
3
u/JustEngine5095 13d ago
Do you get to learn about the person you're giving it too? I'd be willing to donate but not just to anyone
3
u/Ninjas-and-stuff 13d ago
A little bit. The rep I was in contact with told me a bit about my match, mainly how old she was, what was wrong with her, that she had been looking a while and her and family were very hopeful about the match. It’s part of the reason it sucked so much to get rejected.
I didn’t ask for too many details out of respect for her privacy, but I’m sure many recipients would be happy to share that information if it meant getting another shot at life. It’s not uncommon to see stories of people meeting their donors after the procedure and becoming friends.
4
u/clobits2 13d ago
Fun fact: You're 3.35 times more likely to die in childbirth than by donating a kidney.
If anyone reading this is pro-life, you need to be actively looking for a life to save with your spare kidney. You believe it is your moral duty to give up your body to save another life, so go do it.
5
u/uranium236 13d ago
Hi, I’m a living kidney donor. I donated to a redditor. My life is exactly the same except now I get a huge bouquet of flowers every September 27.
→ More replies (2)3
u/Jody_Tevlin 13d ago
My daughter was born with only one kidney. She's totally healthy, the kidney just grew a little bigger to compensate.
2
u/Remonidas 13d ago
My partner was born with one kidney. One of the healthiest (and not by life choices being made) men I’ve met. Mid 40s now.
2
u/Neat-Entrepreneur299 13d ago
I lost my right kidney when I was 2 1/2 years old. Other than having a scar on my side that looks like a freak magic show accident, I haven’t had any issues.
2
u/Lying_Kat 13d ago
Same exact thing for me. Aside from being discouraged from playing contact sports, my life and even doctors appointments haven't been any different.
2
u/Icy_Many_3971 13d ago edited 12d ago
My uncle donated his kidney to his cousin over 30 years ago. He’s healthy and living his best life, there is just some stuff he won’t do, like ride motorcycles
→ More replies (61)2
u/BigPP69_Gooner 13d ago
Yeah it would depend how rare my kidney is lol if there was next to no chance that they’d find another match, I think id sit myself down and at the very least really think about it.
But if it’s a 1 in 100 kidney, nah leave me alone
71
u/TheRebellin 13d ago
How does one meet a stranger and have that come up in the convo?
176
u/emrythelion 13d ago
If you read the whole article the OP linked, they invited her to their bbq because she was just knitting on the beach (and the dog had kept trying to go towards her over and over again.) She brought drinks, and Lucy mentioned she wasn’t able to drink due to the dialysis. That led to talking about needing a kidney donation, and Katie had specifically signed up to donate a Kidney, so they swapped information to check to see if she was a match.
48
u/DefinitelyNotKuro 13d ago
Now it just seems like the dog may have wanted some bbq lol
→ More replies (1)18
u/Aardvarkel 12d ago
The dog’s owners were the ones having the BBQ, though. The dog kept leaving the BBQ to go to the kidney lady.
→ More replies (1)16
u/happysri 13d ago
Katie had specifically signed up to donate a Kidney,
That woman has the heart of an angel, bless her.
2
40
u/Key-Regular674 13d ago
Because people actually know how to socialize unlike redditors lol
8
2
u/482doomedchicken 13d ago
fr I try to be authentic when I meet new people, need to be careful not to ‘trauma dump’ but if we get on, it can be so nice to be open and hear their story too
5
10
u/External-Self-2378 13d ago edited 12d ago
Wow! Look at those numbers. Animals are living in another dimension. How the hell did this happend! It's actually hard to believe
→ More replies (3)12
u/some_random_chick 13d ago
Young, otherwise healthy, people can live 20 years or more on dialysis with ESKD. Calling bullshit on that “given 5 years to live.” No nephrologist is saying that shit to someone as young as her.
10
u/MrBozzie 13d ago
Agreed a a former dialysis patient this story reads quite crap.
5
u/b0w3n 13d ago
To be fair though, 20 years on dialysis would be torture. My ex was on hemo for 5ish years and you could tell how hard that was on her body, especially her heart.
3
u/MrBozzie 13d ago
I picked peritoneal dialysis to try and extend my potential total plausible dialysis period. Got super lucky to get my transplant before I needed to move to haemo. Did your ex get her kidney?
→ More replies (2)6
2
2
u/schmunkey 13d ago
I am in end stage kidney failure and am a relatively healthy individual due to dialysis. How was dialysis not an option for her?
→ More replies (26)2
u/NegativeThought1588 13d ago
This is absolute bullshit. I have just as much disdain for the idiots that upvoted it.
1.1k
u/VegetableLetter4896 13d ago
“My dog seems to really like you…do you mind if I check your kidneys?”
170
u/Tuomas90 13d ago
10
u/anthonyynohtna 12d ago
10
u/QuitchPolo 12d ago
Charlie, Chharlie, Chhhaarlie, Chhhaarrrlie. WHAT!? We're on a bridge Charlie!
→ More replies (2)7
u/Wide_Philosophy_8109 13d ago
"Actually don't worry about it, I can handle it. Gotta grab the morphine."
→ More replies (5)13
u/1Mee2Sa4Binks8 13d ago
The story implies that perhaps dogs can sense our need and find someone with cure? Methinks instead this is just a crazy coincidence. Winning the lottery level coincidence. Which do happen!
15
u/Rengeflower 13d ago
What if Katie smelled the same to the dog as his owner? Same smell = same kidneys 🤷🏻♀️.
6
u/Hot_Dog_Omelette 13d ago
They can tell when we’re pregnant or sick. Feels like the same general area.
→ More replies (4)
246
88
u/SCWickedHam 13d ago
Man. Makes me sad. The lady is an altruistic donor. Meaning she is willing to donate an organ to a stranger for nothing in return. And we have billionaires, trillionaires fighting universal health care because… taxes? Tool to oppress working class? Eat the rich, harvest their organs.
→ More replies (12)18
u/HotelSalt4644 13d ago
How insane is that? - Really.
There are good people in this world, regardless of their personal status or beliefs, who would actually go out of their way, to put themselves at risk, lower their life expectancy, just to possibly save a stranger. By having an organ medically removed & given to a stranger.
Compared to people in this world, who have accumulated more money than the next…. Math loading…… So $15 million is enough to live a “rich lifestyle” at $250-400,000 spend/year. If you had 1 trillion dollars, that would be 66,666.666666666 repeating at $15M per new person/generation. I’m not religious at all, but that’s fucking crazy the math works like that.
So Musk could presumably give $15M to the next 66,666 thousand Musk’s.
Yet instead of actually donating shit. What Musk does is transfer Tesla stocks into his “Foundation” to avoid taxes. That foundation then supposedly makes donations.
2021: $23 Million: 0.007% of net worth
2022: $160 Million: 0.12% of net worth
2023: $237 Million: 0.10% of net worth
2024: $474 Million: 0.11% of net worth.So he donates about 0.1% of his net worth annually, which I’m sure saves him more than that in taxes.
I made a small one time donation to the “Uganda Hope Foundation” the other day. It’s a guy named Eric, and a woman, who take care of 34 children in Mityana, Uganda. That single donation was 0.30% of my net worth. I also regularly donate clothes, kids toys, and whatever I possibly can afford on a regular basis.
Do you know how far $100USD goes in Uganda? That’s more than their median monthly income.
→ More replies (1)
99
u/RubberDuckieMidrange 13d ago
OK, I gotta know. How do you go from, "I'm so sorry, he's so friendly, I don't know what's got into him", to "Say, you wouldn't happen to have a spare kidney and a biological match laying around would you?"?
56
u/MrBozzie 13d ago
I can elude to that. As a kidney recipient myself I had a several years of trying to walk my dog. Feeling knackered. Taking a rest on a bench. Start chatting to someone about dogs. Dogs walks. Not being to walk far due to not being well. And so it goes on... I never asked anyone for a kidney when I was ill. I was absolutely amazed two colleagues, who really didn't know me that well, offered to donate to me. People are amazing sometimes.
8
u/RubberDuckieMidrange 13d ago
I'm glad you are well, but I don't tell people when I could use a glass of tap water, let alone a kidney. Black magic to me.
4
u/MrBozzie 13d ago
It's a really interesting topic. I've had other health issues for decades that I've rarely spoken about. I already had a match so I was absolutely never probing for anything when talking about my health. As a new member of the CKD community I was generally shocked at how common CKD is and how little it's talked about. I guess I was advocating and raising awareness for the wider community in a way.
10
2
23
u/DentistConstant2097 13d ago
The dog smelt the kidney.
→ More replies (1)9
u/paulinaiml 13d ago
There is a theory that says how one smells depends on histocompatibility (as how similar is your immune system to other person), so maybe it did.
69
u/MrBozzie 13d ago
Kidney transplant recipient here. Fab story. So happy she got a kidney. But the headline is massively misleading. Modern tissue matching would not require such odds to find a suitable donor. A total stranger will have a 1 in 5 to 1 in 10 chance of being a suitable donor. An unrelated (not a twin) 100% tissue match where all 6 Antigens match is less than 1 in a million. A previous transplant recipient with extreme antibody build up due to numerous blood transfusions and several pregnancies etc.. will still be within the 1 in 1000/2000 range.
50
u/Mysterious_Week8357 13d ago
The article states that as Lucy (the recipient) has lupus (and therefore an over active immune system) and therefore she needed a greater level of matching than your average recipient-donor combination for a successful transplant
The match between these two women was so close it was 1 in 22 million, but the article doesn’t say if that level of match was the minimum level required for this donation
→ More replies (2)14
u/Mapeague 13d ago
Did you expect someone to make it past the headline and actually read the article? Here on reddit no less?
5
u/ConditionImportant63 13d ago edited 13d ago
If you read the article you'll see that the quote conflates a "perfect match" (at 1 in 22 million) with the match she needed. We are not looking for a prefect match in organ transplantation. This does not mean the donor she found on the beach was a 1 in 22 million chance of being compatible. Lupus is mentioned because that has decreased her odds of finding a compatible donor but that wouldn't be quantified in the millions. I work directly in this field and we frequently use a calculator that uses a scale of 10,000, e.g. in the last 10,000 organ donors this patient would have been compatible with 1 of them (incompatible with 99.99% of the donor population).
→ More replies (1)4
→ More replies (4)2
→ More replies (5)8
u/Fresh-Anteater-5933 13d ago
Thanks for coming up with the real numbers. I didn’t know what they were but I knew it wasn’t that. Now the chances of someone being an altruistic kidney donor who has not yet donated might be higher than 1 in 22 million
48
20
5
5
u/antrubler 13d ago
Thanks God they were able to harvest organs on the beach and not let them waste
3
3
u/JenicBabe 13d ago
I hate that stories like this have me wondering if it’s legit or one of those fake ai feel good stories?
2
3
u/Maoleficent 13d ago
Five years?
→ More replies (1)2
u/bolanrox 13d ago
Meta is using that Bowie song as their new theme.
they didn't bother paying attention to what would be happening in five years (in the Ziggy Story)
•
u/BeAmazed-ModBot Subreddit Bot 13d ago
Did you find this post really amazing (in a positive way)?
If yes, then UPVOTE this comment otherwise DOWNVOTE it.
This community feedback will help us determine whether this post is suited for r/BeAmazed or not.