UK: Pet dog sniffs out ‘one-in-22 million’ matching kidney donor, saves owner's life

Dogs can truly be godsent. A pet dog saved its owner’s life by sniffing out the ‘perfect’ donor for her onthe beach.Lucy Humphrey’s Doberman turned guardianangelas itfound her a ‘one-in-22 million’ kidney donor after she spent years on the waiting list.

Humphrey, 44, of Caerphilly, has had lupus since 2000 and was diagnosed with end-stage renal failure in 2017. She required a kidney donor in order to survive.

As reported by Wales Online, Humphrey,and her partner Cenydd Owen had to postpone campervan vacations with their dogs because Lucy couldn't be away for a couple of nights due to her frequent dialysis treatments.

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Instead, they prepared a cookout and took the dogs to Barry's beach.

Found the perfect kidney donor on the beach

However, one of their two Dobermans namedIndie, began pestering Katie James, 40who was sitting and crocheting in another campervan.

"Indie went over like three times, back and forward to her," Humphrey told the Daily Record.

"She was minding her own business, campervanning on her own. Eventually Cenydd went over to apologise, and we got chatting and invited her over to our barbecue."

WhenHumphreynoted that she couldn't drink since she was receiving dialysis, the three started talking, and Katie said she had just signed up for the kidney donationregister.

She told Humphreyshe she'd love to help and donate if possible. "We swapped telephone numbers," said Humphrey"And to be honest I didn't think anything else would come of it."

They were shocked to discover Katie was a perfect match after some blood work and scans.

According to Humphrey, the likelihood of her meeting Katie and then being a match must have been "one in 22 million."

The process began in June 2021, but Humphreyclaims that Covid-related backlogs are what delayed the transplant until October 2022.

Due to the kidney's slow "wake-up" time, Humphrey'sblood pressure dropped as she recovered. She then had to stay in the hospital for four weeks, but because she was on the same ward as Katie, they got to know one another before Katie was discharged.

Humphreytold Daily Recod: "I’m so grateful for her… I told my partner in 2019 if I didn’t find a transplant within five years it was possible something would happen and I would die. I want this to be a message to other people not to give up hope."

"Originally, I was due to go into a pooled donation," Katie explained. "I wouldn’t know who the kidney went to, where, why, or even if it worked. I was quite happy with that, but I’d never have known.

"[Now,] not only do I know who it’s gone to but I know how she’s doing and how it’s affected her life… I could’ve only imagined it before with a stranger."

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