A new website has launched to encourage Christians and Churches in particular to consider altruistic kidney donation.
The idea is the brainchild of Joe Walsh, founder of Faith in Operation. In 2019, Joe donated a kidney to a stranger giving a woman precious time to play with her grandchildren again and saving the NHS hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Currently there are thousands on the waiting list for a kidney and around 250 people die each year while waiting for a transplant. With Coronavirus causing delays with waiting lists, Joe hopes his website and experience will encourage others to donate in the way he did.
Joe Walsh told The Rooftop:
Giving a kidney was one of the best decisions of my life. It gives me great joy to know that my recipient is able to play with her grandchildren again and I would thoroughly encourage everyone to weigh it up. Together, we could achieve a world-first by ending the waiting list for a kidney through altruism.
Justin Thacker, former doctor, theologian and national co-ordinator for Church Action for Tax Justice reflects:
As I thought about my kidney, it struck me that for me personally I would be betraying one of my most heartfelt principles if I was willing to give it to a friend, but not to a stranger. Either I believed in love without borders – or I didn’t.
Faith in Operation aims to save lives and bolster the NHS. It also aims to promote a more positive view of Christians who very often display their true colours: compassionate, counter-cultural and innovative. Faith in Operation invites anyone interested in altruistic donation to explore the website: www.faithinoperation.
Image: Joe Walsh