A B.C. woman donated a kidney to a complete stranger, and her act of kindness inspired her husband to donate one too.
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Elizabeth Black of Burnaby decided to give her kidney away after seeing her father-in-law and a neighbour deal with kidney disease.
“They inspired me to, sort of, pass on their spirits,†she says.
Black had surgery in 2013 and it took about a month to recover.
Black’s husband, Ken McLeod, says he saw what his wife went through and asked himself, “Could I not do the same?â€
He donated to a stranger in 2016.
“You hope that you're helping and that somebody will be able to have a better life because of it,†he said.
Black says that donating her kidney was not only indescribably meaningful, but that the decision led her to a new hobby.
To get healthier before for the surgery, Black took up running. Now, she travels far and wide to compete in marathons and half-marathons.
“Before all my runs, I think of my recipient,†she says. “Without them, I wouldn't be having any of these opportunities.â€
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Maria Weisgarber