Nigerian Woman Who Donated Kidney to Stranger in London 8 Months Ago Shares How Her Body Now Feels
- Eight months after donating her kidney to a stranger in London, a Nigerian woman, who is 44, has opened up about her health
- According to the woman, donating her kidney wasn't a difficult choice to make, as she had been donating blood since she was 18
- In a video, the kidney donor shared what she noticed about her body since she made the sacrificial effort, and she also responded to questions about whether she was paid for it
A 44-year-old Nigerian woman, known as Toks, has opened up about her overall health eight months after donating her kidney to a stranger in London.
Toks, now back in Lagos, made a TikTok video where she narrated how she gave one of her kidneys to a stranger overseas.
Source: TikTok
How woman donated kidney to stranger
In a TikTok video, Toks disclosed that she had been donating her blood since she was 18, and so it was not hard to give out one of her kidneys, especially when she realised that we only need one kidney to live.
Toks, a volunteer at the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT), explained that she never set out to donate her kidney to a total stranger, but was meant to give it to a friend, but was not a match for her.
"It's been eight months since I donated my kidney to a stranger. Yes, hi, I'm Toks, and I indeed donated my kidney to a stranger eight months ago back in London. And when people ask me why I did it, my answer is always, why not? I started donating blood when I was 18 years old.
"I started volunteering with the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust, ACLT, also when I was 18 years old, when I found out about the campaign for their son Daniel DeGale who needed a bone marrow transplant because he had leukaemia. So for me, the notion of giving back has always been a value that I uphold. through my actions and deeds.
"And once I found out about living kidney donation, and you realise that we only need one kidney, it was an easy option for me to say yes. Didn't set out initially to donate a kidney to a stranger. I was trying to donate to a friend, but wasn't a match for her. Then there was a campaign for a young boy, and I thought, why not? Wasn't a match for him.
"When the nurse asked me if I would consider becoming an altruistic donor, I said yes. So there's no major wow about it."
How kidney donor's health is
Speaking about how she feels eight months after donating her kidney, Toks said she feels stronger and fitter than she has ever been in her 44 years on earth. According to her, living with one kidney has enhanced her life.
She maintained that she feels so good and looks good, adding that people would not know she donated one of her kidneys if she didn't mention it.
She encouraged people to be selfless, suggesting that they could start by donating their blood or their time.
"What I really wanted to share is since I donated my kidney, I actually feel like this is the fittest and the strongest I've ever been in my 44 years of being on this planet. I mean, a year ago, I was training for London Marathon. I was quite fit already, and I was running a lot. Now I'm not running as much, mainly because I'm in Lagos and because of the humidity and this tropical sun, my running times are very restricted to just in the mornings.
"And because of safety, I don't tend to go out too early, which means I have a very, very short window, span of when I can go for a run here in Lagos. But I am running so well for somebody that has got just one kidney. Even though the humidity is kicking my very fine behind, I feel really good after every run. I'm running.
"I'm not running at my personal best. I'm still. And I think that's because I'm running. Like I said, I'm running in restrictive times and I'm not having the free freedom to just run whenever I wanna run and run as long as I want to. So that's a big factor. And I'm not, I've not been running consistently, but over the last couple of weeks, I've been getting out more and more.
"So I think with more time, I'll go back to being at my personal best. But I look good, I feel good, and if I didn't tell you, you wouldn't know that I just want a kidney. So it was World Kidney Day on Thursday last week. So if you've ever thought about it, you don't have to donate a kidney. You can start by donating blood. You can start by donating your time. But trust me, every little thing counts. And every little helps. Peace."
When asked in the comment section if she was paid for the kidney donation, Toks replied:
"No, it's illegal to get paid for organ donation in the UK. I was reimbursed for loss of wages during the time I was recuperating."
Source: TikTok
Watch her video below:
Reactions trail kidney donor's video
Legit.ng has compiled some reactions to the kidney donor's video below:
Flora jay🌹 said:
"U saved a soul❤️God bless you beyond limit, goodness and mercy follow you all the days of your life."
Yeancute 🤪🤪 said:
"I don’t know how to ask this question. Like healthwise, are you really okay, I mean very fit?? No health issue or anything?"
Tèmídayọ̀ 🥰 said:
"It’s illegal to get paid for organ donation but they charge very high fees for organ transplants. Make it make sense pls."
In a related story, Legit.ng reported that a lady had donated her kidney to save her mother's life.
Lady's response to father's kidney request trends
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a lady's response to her father's kidney request had gone viral online.
She shared the response she gave after her father’s wife called her to explain his condition. Despite being begged to get tested to see if she was a compatible donor, the lady gave a response she didn’t expect.
After learning what her father needed, she gave him a negative response through his new family.
Source: Legit.ng
