A 28-year old woman, Lauren, donated one of her kidneys to a stranger whom she had never met before.
Lauren first talked about her desire to donate one of her kidneys last summer on Facebook. According to her, she just wants to help other people. "I have a strong desire to help people," said Lauren, reports Foxnews.
Doctors say it is rare to find someone who is neither a relative nor friend to donate a kidney out of sheer goodwill. Generally people needing a kidney are matched with dead donors and sometimes have to wait long.
"So this is a very rare circumstance. These are very special individuals. They're unbelievably giving and caring and thoughtful," said Dr. Peter Abt, reports myfoxphilly.
After going through a series of test, hospital visits and interviews for six months, Lauren was finally admitted to the hospital for the surgical procedure. Priscilla Naccarelli, Lauren's mother is proud of her daughter's act and wants Lauren to recover fast.
"It was very nerve-racking. I'm very proud of my daughter," said Naccarelli, reports Fox news. "I'm not so nervous and scared anymore. Right now, I just want to be with her and make sure she's getting better."
After the young star was over with her surgery, Lauren posted on Facebook, "Totally tired and confused but I'm out of surgery and doing okay. Thanks everybody."
Many Americans have to wait up to five year to receive a kidney. According to the health experts, outcomes are better when the organ comes from a living donor.
The living donors need to abide by certain precautions to carry on their routine life after the transplant. They should avoid ibuprofen, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory pain relievers and a protein rich diet as all this is hard on the single kidney to process, reports mlive.
