Another recent report reveals the human spirit of kindness and compassion is alive and thriving. The number of living organ donors helping strangers continue to grow. Joe Napsha with the Tribe, a Pennsylvania newspaper, reports on the latest act of donor kindness, “A North Huntingdon wife and mother of two — inspired to help others during the coronavirus pandemic — may have given a complete stranger the gift of life.”
An unnamed organ recipient suffering from renal failure, who like many others was waiting on a second chance, was in the fight of her life and desperately needed a new kidney. “With all the horrible things going on out there (with the pandemic), I wanted to give a little bit of hope back to somebody,” said the organ donor, Tiffany Galley, who underwent surgery at UPMC Montefiore in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood.
Galley, who is mother of two sons, ages 11 and 6, and human mommy to two active German Shorthaired Pointers, now lives without a left kidney. A vertical incision at her navel and small incision on her left side will serve as life-long visual reminders of her act of kindness. With a house full of busy boys and dogs, she wears an abdomen binder, which she calls a modified girdle, to help prevent internal injury should one of the boys or dogs bump her during recovery.
In his article, Napsha reports Galley said, “My husband, Randy, has been supportive of my decision to undergo the life-sustaining surgery for another person. He’s my rock. He was worried but he was behind me 100%.”
Galley also shared more about the support and concern she received from her family with Napsha, “During her recovery, her boys ‘have been super helpful,’ carrying the laundry and groceries because, under doctor’s orders, she is not to lift anything more than 10 pounds. Her older son, Rayden, understands what she went through, while her younger son, Greysen, was told ‘mommy had to go to the hospital and she would have a boo-boo’ when she came home four days later.”
According to Healthline, “Although most people have two kidneys, only one functioning kidney is needed to live an active, healthy life. Kidneys filter out waste and extra fluid from blood so it can be excreted from the body in urine. One kidney can filter enough blood to keep the body functioning normally. This is why people can survive and be healthy with only one kidney.”
Kidney and liver donations are on the rise from living donors. The liver is one of the body’s most amazing organs because of its ability to regenerate.
Thousands of Americans in need of a kidney or liver donation lives can be spared by an organ donation from a family member, friend, or even a stranger who is a match. The National Foundation for Transplants offer services to help living donors offset the cost related to donating an organ. Download our Living Donor brochure to learn more.