I donated my kidney to a stranger after a chance meeting on the beach – it was a gift to see her live her life to the fullest and I am still completely healthy
A woman who donated her kidney to a total stranger she met by chance on the beach has revealed it has been a 'gift' seeing the recipient thrive and live her life to the fullest.
Katie James, 41, from Barry, Wales, told FEMAIL that the kind gesture 'hasn't made any difference to her life', while it gave her joy to see 44-year-old Lucy Humphrey – who was given just five years to live – to feel better.
“I don't know why I did this!” she revealed. “I was probably a teenager when I first watched it. I've 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. She was rejected simply because she wanted to do something good for someone.
The couple met by chance when they were both at the beach in their RVs in 2020.
Katie James (right), 41, from Barry, Wales told FEMAIL that the kind gesture 'hasn't made any difference to her life', while it gave her the joy of seeing Lucy Humphrey (left), 44, who was only five years left to live – feeling better
Katie said she doesn't normally like socializing but was encouraged to talk to Lucy and her partner after their dog kept getting run over.
Eventually the two women got to talking, and Lucy revealed she was on dialysis after Katie offered her a drink.
She suffered from 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 had a number of appointments.
The pair exchanged numbers and decided to stay in touch. Just two months later, it turned out that Katie was a perfect match.
“The difference in her was amazing,” she said of seeing Lucy after the procedure. “She's been in the van so many times.”
Katie also added that dialysis is “not life” and that it is a small gesture on her part that has completely changed someone's life.
She explained that she can still live her normal life and even enjoy a drink – the only memory is a 'little scar on her stomach'.
The pair exchanged numbers and decided to stay in touch. Just two months later, it turned out that Katie was a perfect match
After Katie volunteered, the two women went to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff on October 3, 2022.
Being used to procedures having had previous eye surgeries, Katie was also familiar with the more technical side of things.
Katie admits that while many of her friends “didn't really want her to do it,” she hoped a stranger would do the same for her.
To pay her back, Lucy appeared on an episode of Woodland Workshop this month to gift crochet lover Katie her own handmade needles and a storage box.
“I'd like to make a gift for someone special to me, Katie,” she told the program. 'Last year she donated a kidney to me. I had been on dialysis for five and a half years.
“She was a complete stranger… the doctors told us the odds of us meeting on the beach and how we would end up being a perfect match were actually one in 22 million.”
An emotional Katie was then presented with a beautiful handmade box during the show, including driftwood from the beach where they met.
'It's so beautiful and it was made for me!' she exclaimed. “Everything about it is just absolutely perfect.”
Speaking previously to the Daily Mail, Lucy revealed how her partner Cenydd Owen, 49, from Caerphilly, South Wales, was taking their camper van for a weekend away to Aberystwyth, 90 miles away.
To pay her back, Lucy appeared on an episode of Woodland Workshop this month to gift crochet lover Katie her own handmade needles and a storage box.
An emotional Katie was then presented with a beautiful handmade box during the show, including driftwood from the beach where they met.
But Lucy wasn't feeling well enough for the long journey, so they went to the nearest beach, where Katie sat in a lounger crocheting a blanket.
“Indie kept going to this woman about 100 yards away. “We called her back, but she wouldn't leave her alone,” she said.
“We thought she had food or something and eventually Cenydd went over to apologize because Dobermans can be a bit intimidating.
'She was having a hard time herself, so I invited her to our barbecue.
'She came by, bought something to drink and offered me some.
'Cenydd explained that I couldn't drink because I was on dialysis. She said, “Oh, what's that for?” and he said I was waiting for a kidney transplant.”
After Katie volunteered, the two women went to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff on October 3, 2022.
The operation was a success and Lucy has now made a full recovery and is living a happy, normal 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 describe Katie as an “amazing, selfless person” who they can never thank enough.