Man, 20, becomes the youngest ‘Good Samaritan’ kidney donor

Sam Nagy, from Huddersfield, decided to make what is known as an “altruistic donation” after carrying out voluntary work with neglected children in Kenya, and seeing an appeal by the NHS.

The banking administrator, who is now recovering at home, had to convince his mother Karen, who was concerned about the idea at first, but doctors welcomed his selfless action.

Mr Nagy yesterday told how his family had been “extremely apprehensive” when he told them about his plans with one telling him he was too young and to wait a few years before he went in for the operation.

But his work with national charity Give a Kidney – One’s Enough combined with his experiences in Africa meant that his mind was made up and has kept an internet blog in the run up to donation explaining his reasoning.

He said: “I’m just an average person, no amazing talents, no special abilities, just a motive to help. Inspired to help my fellow man.

“I first donated blood at the age of 17 and have been a regular donor ever since. I’m also on the blood platelet, bone marrow donor and organ donor register.

“Why donate now, why not when I’m older? People are dying now. Lives wasted. I can save a life now, why should I allow people’s health to deteriorate just because I’m under the age of 40.”

As of last January, 93 Good Samaritan kidney donations have taken place in the UK. The idea was launched in 2006 in a bid to help tackle the shortage of donor organs.

There are almost 6,400 patients who need a kidney transplant on the national waiting list according the latest statistics compiled by the NHS Blood and Transplant service.

Mr Nagy’s mother said her son had obviously researched what he wanted to do and had been able to answer every question she had asked him about the risks and why they were worth it to help someone else live.

She said she was “extremely proud of him” but had also asked herself what had motivated such a young man to undergo an operation that would leave him with one kidney for the rest of his life.

Writing on his blog, just a few weeks before his operation, Mr Nagy said: “When it comes to telling those closest to you that you want to put yourself in danger (albeit a small risk) to help someone you haven’t or are likely to never meet it suddenly becomes quite difficult, and naturally you find yourself trying to remind them there are positives among the negatives.

“People ask why, not because they want your reasoning, but more like doing your bit to help a stranger isn’t enough – there must be something I’m not telling them about.

“Over the last few months, I’ve thought to myself, why is it so many people have misconceptions about what life with one kidney is like?

“From the first to the last person I’ve told, I find myself fighting against misinformation. Yes, I’ll be able to continue an active lifestyle. No, I’m not at a higher risk of kidney problems.

“But strangely a question I never thought would arise which has several times is ‘are you getting a financial gain?’. Nope, and given the facts and figures about kidney failure, the waiting times and risks to donor’s, I’m sure many more people would actively donate.

“If my blog makes only one person do a little more research, find out it’s not as bad as what they think, I’ll have succeeded.”

Nicholas Crace, 83, a former charity director from Hampshire, became the oldest Good Samaritan donor earlier this year when gave a kidney to a stranger in the spring.

Mr Crace had good health and no dependants when his wife, Brigid, died in the summer of last year.

He said that after dealing with his wife’s affairs he found appropriate voluntary work hard to find, and enrolling as a volunteer driver for the local hospice solved only part of the problem.

After calling the NHS organ donor register he was put in touch with Queen Alexandra Hospital at Portsmouth, where he underwent the tests and operation.