Growing numbers of people are choosing to risk hours of surgery to give strangers a new lease of life. Health reporter Diana Prince finds out why altruistic kidney donation is on the rise
HELEN will never meet the person whose life she changed by donating a kidney.
All she knows is the transplant was successful.
Helen Tworkowski, aged 55, of Tavistock, said undergoing major surgery to help a stranger was a "no brainer".
She is one of a growing number of 'altruistic' kidney donors – people who choose to give an organ while living to an unknown patient.
New figures released to The Herald show the number nationwide has quadrupled in recent years – from 10 in 2007/08 to 39 in 2011/12.
Helen is the only person in the region to have the operation so far this year.
She is currently recovering from the surgery which took place at the South West Transplant Centre, Derriford Hospital.
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{Register to be an organ,eye and tissue donor. To learn how, www.donatelife.net or www.organdonor.gov}
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