A lot of people believe altruism is not real; that no one would perform an act of kindness unless they had something to gain from it.
But then there are stories like these where a perfect stranger donates an organ to someone in need that restores your faith in the concept.
Roy McIntosh was a 48-year-old resident of New Jersey in need of a kidney transplant. Roy’s wife was dedicated to finding a kidney for her husband. She wrote on a Facebook group called, “The Laughing Christian,” asking that people pray her husband finds a kidney that matches for his transplant.
About 1700 miles away in Texas, Heather Schafer, a military wife, read the post. “Please pray for my husband that God sends a type B+ living kidney donor to him. We believe in God for a miracle. Please pray for him,” the post read.
Heather thought about how she was B+ and then instantly made the decision to donate her kidney if she was a match.
‘That’s for me,’” Heather recalls. “Somehow I just knew I had a part to play. So, I messaged the lady about 30 minutes later and wrote, ‘I am B+ [blood type] and I’d like to look into if I can donate my kidney.’”
About 1700 miles away in Texas, Heather Schafer, a military wife, read the post. “Please pray for my husband that God sends a type B+ living kidney donor to him. We believe in God for a miracle. Please pray for him,” the post read.
Heather thought about how she was B+ and then instantly made the decision to donate her kidney if she was a match.
‘That’s for me,’” Heather recalls. “Somehow I just knew I had a part to play. So, I messaged the lady about 30 minutes later and wrote, ‘I am B+ [blood type] and I’d like to look into if I can donate my kidney.’
While Toshira recalls being skeptical, she gave Heather the contact for living-donor coordinator and prayed that it would be a successful match.
“What are the odds that a Caribbean man in New Jersey and a woman from Scotland living in Texas would even find one another, let alone be compatible?” she said.
The tests finally showed proof that the two were a perfect match. Heather started making YouTube videos about her journey as a kidney donor.
“Making the videos helped me organize my own thoughts and explain the process to my loved ones. I also hoped sharing my story would remove some of the mystery and help other people consider becoming an organ donor too,” Heather said.
The alternative to a kidney transplant is dialysis which is not a suitable long-term solution for patients. Before his transplant, Roy went to a dialysis center thrice a week for five-hour shifts. After his transplant, that is a thing of the past.
“I feel 20 years younger!” Roy said.
Eight weeks after the successful surgery, Roy, his wife, and four of their five children met Heather and her two children for the first time in person.
The two families have a strong bond now.
“We love Heather and we are forever grateful,” Roy said.
While Heather summed up everything in a poetic way by saying, “Perfect stranger, perfect match, perfect God.”
