Mother who pleaded on Facebook is saved by a stranger’s kidney
Karen Davey, 41, received a kidney from Gary Summerfield, a man she had never met.

A mother of four who posted a desperate plea on Facebook because of kidney disease has had a life-saving transplant after a complete stranger offered her his kidney.
Karen Davey, 41, wrote in her post that she did not want to leave her family without a mother. Gary Summerfield saw the post and donated one of his kidneys to her in July.
Explaining his decision, Gary said he had thought that she needed one of his kidneys more than he needed two. Karen’s family said they could never repay his generosity, and that the act had given her a second chance to be a mother.
According to NHS Blood and Transplant, waiting for a kidney from a deceased donor takes on average two to three years, while a living donor shortens the process to three to six months. Karen had a heart transplant 10 years ago, and medication taken afterwards contributed to her kidney failure.
