A 48-year-old mother donated her kidney to a stranger and now, she is training for the London Marathon and raising money for kidney research.
Rachel Cox is a nurse in the renal unit at Crosshouse Hospital in Scotland. After seeing her patients suffer from dialysis, the mother-of-two wanted to do something to make at least one person’s life better and decided to donate her kidney.
Watch the nurse who donated her kidney to a stranger
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She told SWNS: “A life on hemodialysis is not easy and it’s not really a choice. It’s something is every day and I wanted to do something to make at least one person’s life better. You can only give your kidney once and that’s why I couldn’t choose who to donate to.”
She said that her family thought she was crazy but it was a “personal choice and not something anyone should feel pressure to do.”
She told Kidney Research UK: “My family thought I was crazy. My husband kept asking me if I was sure but never once did he say ‘don’t do it’. I had a few sessions with a psychologist to establish I was doing it for the right reasons – it’s something all donors go through.”
Cox kept it a secret at the time because she didn’t want anyone to feel pressure to do it.
“It is not something I’ve spoken about much in public because I don’t want other renal nurses to think it is something they should all do – I’m well aware this is my personal choice and not something anyone should feel they have to do”, she said.
After recovering from her surgery, Cox is now is raising money for Kidney Research U.K.
She is also training for the London Marathon.
After the story of Cox donating her kidney to a stranger and raising money for Kidney Research U.K went viral online, people praised the nurse for her selfless act.
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