The owner of a Knoxville restaurant is recovering after receiving a kidney transplant thanks to a living donor who saw his story on local TV news. Walter Ajlouny had been battling kidney disease since he was 19 and, after his health worsened, his family turned to the community for help. Natasha Browne saw the news report, felt a calling to help, and soon discovered she was a match.
Browne underwent surgery to donate her kidney, allowing Ajlouny to receive the life-saving transplant after having been on dialysis for nearly a year. The two met the day after the procedure, and Ajlouny immediately called her his "angel." Doctors stress the importance of living kidney donations, noting that matches only require a compatible blood type and that donors can live normal lives with one kidney.
Now back at his deli, Ajlouny is enjoying interacting with customers, and Browne, who quickly recovered, says she has no regrets about her decision. Inspired by the generosity of his donor, he’s since registered as an organ donor himself. His son, Jason, says the experience has renewed their faith in humanity, as a stranger’s selfless act changed their family’s life forever.
Source: WBIR
photo: GETTY
Photo: JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP / Getty Images