A woman has revealed how her dog saved her life after sniffing out a 1-in-22 million organ donor on a trip to the beach.
Lucy Humphrey, 44, had been suffering from Lupus for 15 years and the debilitating condition which causes inflammation in the heart, lungs, liver and joints, had left her with acute kidney failure.
In 2019 she was given the daunting news that she might only have five years to live without a transplant and with her partner and her dogs Indie and Jake, she tried to make the very best of life.
Three years on and with no sign of a suitable donor, Doberman Indie created a moment with a stranger that literally saved Lucy's life.
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During a beach day in Barry, South Wales, in 2021 with her partner Cenydd Owen, 49, the dog became fascinated with another beachgoer. The stranger was Katie James, a 40-year-old who went on to become Lucy's kidney donor.
Lucy and Cenydd had parked their caravan and set up a braai, but Indie had other plans. Lucy explained: "Indie kept going over to this woman about 100 yards away. She was sitting by herself, crocheting a blanket.
"We kept calling Indie back, because obviously a big Doberman can seem a little bit intimidating and then we went over to apologise to her."
Katie said she didn’t mind Indie's attention, and Lucy invited her to join their braai. She said: "Katie came over with some drinks, and she offered me some but Cenydd explained that I couldn't drink as I was on dialysis. She was like, 'Oh, what for?' And he said that I was waiting for a kidney transplant."
Katie revealed that she had just signed up to be a kidney donor, "for anyone who wants it". The women swapped numbers and Lucy contacted a donor coordinator the next day.
Lucy told the BBC : "Katie had all the tests and it turned out she was a perfect match. A surgeon told us it's a one in 22 million chance to find the perfect match, and that's what I needed as I have Lupus. And incredibly my beautiful Doberman Indie found my 1-in-22 million organ donor."
The successful life-changing transplant went ahead on October 3, 2022 at University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff.
Katie said: "I feel really lucky that I got to know Lucy, I know that it has worked and I know that she's out there living her life. To me, there's been no negative to it whatsoever.
"I feel really proud of myself, I get embarrassed sometimes though as every time I'm out with my nan she will tell a stranger 'oh my granddaughter donated a kidney.
"It's the best thing I've ever done and I feel so proud of myself and my family are proud of me."
Lucy's partner Cenydd said: "We ended up going to Barry by total chance, meeting Katie by total chance, and Lucy's ended up with a kidney. We want to show that there is always hope for people.
"Never give in, because you never know, we weren't even going to go to the beach that day. There's a lot of good people out there."
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