Woman donates her kidney to her ex-husband five years after divorce

A selfless woman is being praised after she donated her kidney to her ex-husband, five years after their divorce was finalized.

Dan Pyatt, 44, and ex-wife Kelly Hope, 43, who have two children together, began dating when they were 18. They got married 13 years later, in 2007. Sadly, less than a year after their wedding, Dan fell ill with an aggressive type of kidney disease.

By September 2017, he was told his kidney function had fallen to just 8% and he was put on dialysis and on a deceased donor waiting list. At this time, the couple had divorced. After 12 months on the waiting list and no donor, Kelly offered to donate one of her kidneys to the father of her children. But this led to a disagreement between the former couple as Dan said he didn’t want her to do that.

Kelly recalls telling her ex-husband on his sickbed: “I’m going to get tested for a transplant. It’s not up to you. It’s my decision. I know what the risks are and I’m doing it. Even though we weren’t together anymore, I wasn’t prepared to let my children be without a father.”

The couple said they separated because they weren’t getting along anymore.

The operation was a success, and Dan was discharged just five days later.

As for Dan, he is still overwhelmed by his ex-wife’s extraordinary gesture. He said: “It was truly a selfless act, to put your own life on the line to help someone else is amazing. Kelly will always be my hero.”

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Can you do the same for an ex-partner?