Karen Davey, 42, from Rhondda Cynon Taf, has undergone a life-saving kidney transplant after a complete stranger, Gary Summerfield, 60, responded to her Facebook appeal for a donor. The mum-of-four had exhausted every avenue to find a suitable match as her condition deteriorated, leaving social media as her last resort.
Facebook plea answered
Gary, a security guard from Blaenau Gwent, came across Karen's post after finishing a night shift. He got in touch, and after discovering he was a match, he underwent surgery in July to donate one of his kidneys.
Karen said: "I was lucky to find somebody like Gary. But there are good people out there and people that want to help. He's just my hero. He's an amazing person inside and out. I've loved getting to know him - and we will continue to be friends. My family are just grateful."
Health ordeal
Karen had undergone a heart transplant a decade ago after suffering a heart attack while watching her son play football. She said: "I knew when I had my heart transplant 10 years ago that at some point I would probably need a kidney because the drugs I'm on for the heart are toxic to them."
Three years ago, doctors found her kidney function was declining. She added: "I found out about three years ago then I dropped into stage three kidney failure. And it just gradually went down from there."
Her friends and family were all assessed to see if they could donate a kidney, but none were compatible matches. She also faced a nationwide shortage of donors, with waiting times of two to three years, as revealed this week by NHS Blood and Transplant. However, with a living donor, the wait can be as little as three to six months.
Meeting the donor
Gary said: "I came home from work after a night shift and had a doom scroll on Facebook. All of a sudden, Karen's plea came up. I just felt an overwhelming desire to help her and her family."
After consulting his loved ones, Gary chose to begin the donation process. He said: "I spoke to my family and asked them what they thought of it, and they said they know I'm a strong believer in donated organs."
Karen revealed that Gary kept her informed throughout the lengthy testing process. Approximately six weeks before the operation, Karen discovered that Gary had been approved to donate and they met for the first time ahead of the transplant.
Gary said Karen's story resonated with him personally. "What struck me was that she is a very similar age to my daughter," he added. "I chatted with my two daughters. They said, 'Go for that; we know how you feel about that'."
Transplant and recovery
Karen's health ordeal began years earlier when she experienced chest pain while watching her son play football. Medics discovered she had suffered a spontaneous heart attack. During surgery to repair a hole in her heart, she suffered three more heart attacks, which destroyed the left side of the heart. She subsequently underwent a heart transplant and spent three months in hospital at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.
Years on, routine tests revealed her kidneys were failing, and at their worst, they deteriorated to just seven per cent function. She had already started dialysis, but this posed additional risks due to her transplanted heart. "The dialysis puts pressure on the heart, so that's why I needed a donor sooner rather than later," she said.
The transplant was carried out on 15 July. However, Karen's recovery was far from straightforward. "I caught an infection, so I ended up having a second operation where they had to reopen the wound," she said. "I was in the hospital for 17 days. But I'm feeling so much better than I was. The infection's gone now and the wound's healing slowly."
Karen said posting the Facebook appeal was one of the best decisions she ever made. "I thought long and hard about it because I didn't know how it would go down. But it was the best thing I did," she said.
But Gary insists the real hero is Karen. "I believe it was an easy process for me; there's nothing heroic about that," he said. "If there's somebody out there desperate for help, you go to help." Praising her determination throughout years of serious health challenges, he added: "Karen is a hero. She is a warrior."
After receiving the life-saving transplant, Karen says her family are simply happy for the second chance. "They are just grateful," she said.
