A 32-year-old Oklahoma man opted to donate his kidney to a stranger, and three months later, he got an emotional “thank you” letter from the guy who received it. “I hope his message motivates you all to be donors when you die, and some of you to be live donors,” the guy, who goes by the reddit handle TheBartian, said. Too many individuals lose close ones at a young age.” The message was provided to him anonymously by the transplant facility, and he publicized it to increase awareness of altruistic kidney donation.

It’s something he’s wanted to do for a long time. The letter begins: Good day, my name is [redacted]. My name is S, and I am 63 years old. S.’s mother died when he was six years old, following a five-year battle with cancer. This has brought my kid and I closer together. I wedded a woman called [redacted] after many years. We reside on a little farm in [redacted] town.

I now have three grandkids, whose names are [redacted], [redacted], and [redacted]. My son and three grandsons are my life; I cannot function without one of them. Because of the present you provided me on January 5th, 2017, I believe I will be able to attend more basketball games, baseball games, and football games. I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart; thanks of you, I will live a better and longer life…

Thank you very much. Many people admired the man’s efforts and were intrigued about how he made his choice after reading the letter. TheBartian responded by explaining why he opted to do it and what transpired during the event. “I’ve wanted to do it for almost ten years, but my parents, brothers, and wife all thought I was crazy.” The more I looked into it, the more I realized it was the proper thing to do. My wife ultimately agreed, but I’m not sure anybody else ever did.

I’m not homosexual, so I’m not sure what it’s like to come out, but I believe telling folks you’re giving your kidney to a stranger evokes some of the same feelings in parents as they would have had about being gay 10 or 20 years ago. “Are you sure?” “Are you going to be okay?” “Is this a phase you’ll grow out of?” “ I didn’t want to inform my parents about the operation, but my wife insisted. The talk was unpleasant, but donating a kidney was the right thing to do.

My father-in-law died of lung cancer eight years ago; he was a year younger than my recipient, who was 62 at the time. He’s missed a lot over the previous eight years, and my father is also 62 this year.” “So this was my third attempt to give; the first time it was like an uncle of a friend’s cousin or something, very distantly related, but there was someone else who volunteered to donate who was in better condition than me and was a match, so I didn’t donate to him.”

“There was also a buddy of a friend who turned out to be one of my wife’s employees.” I was checked, and we weren’t a match, but by the time they realized that, they had established that I was healthy enough to give.” “That same day, I discovered out I had a second cousin who needed a kidney, but due to her lymphoma history, it didn’t appear promising that we’d be a match.”

“They discovered someone for whom I was a match, but when they informed him he was a match, he phoned back the following day and said he had a sore on his foot, which precluded him from receiving the kidney.” They offered me the choice of waiting for his foot sore to heal or donating my kidney to the backup recipient.” “The following day, I contacted and instructed them to deliver it to the backup receiver.”

It was difficult to make many selections, but it kept going back to people dying while waiting, therefore the sooner I contribute, the better the chain reactions would be. People farther down the list may get kidneys from dead donors sooner as a result of my donation.” “It took around 4 months from the moment I phoned to the operation date, with several scans and tests in between.” This was my first surgery, and it was a breeze since everything was done laparoscopically.

I had surgery on a Thursday and returned home on Saturday afternoon. I used pain relievers for a few days, but just at night to help me sleep. My main limits are that I cannot participate in contact sports (to avoid damaging my one kidney) and that I cannot consume large amounts of alcohol (4-5 drinks per day), which is probably not ideal even if I had two kidneys.”

“I tell them I have a c-section scar, a 3-4 inch vertical scar below my belly button where they removed my kidney.” I got out of the hospital in two days and never required pain medication again, though I did take them before night for a few days to ensure I didn’t wake up in agony. I took as many walks around the house as I could. I was walking my dog for a mile 10 days before. I could have returned to work in two weeks if they had allowed me wear sweatpants.

I was walking 8-10 kilometers every other day after 5 weeks. I’ve been out of the hospital for about six months and I can do everything I did before surgery and don’t miss my kidney at all.” Sebastian also said that all medical expenses were covered: “It was completely free, and they pay everything linked to the donation for at least two years following the operation.” I have my six-month check-up in a few weeks and I won’t have to pay anything.”

People also inquired whether he would regret his decision if his one remaining kidney failed. “I don’t believe I’d be sorry; if I need a new kidney, I’ll be at the top of the list with a wait of 4-5 months rather than 4-5 years if I didn’t give.” According to the National Kidney Foundation, more than 101,000 Americans need a kidney transplant each year, yet only 17,000 individuals obtain one. “That’s something I sometimes point out to folks,” TheBartian added, “8,000 people die while waiting for kidneys.”

“Maybe I should simply let him know that it hasn’t impacted my lifestyle at all, other for taking a bit better care of myself and letting him know I took care of the kidney while it was mine,” TheBartian said when asked whether he intended to react to the organ recipient. It comes from a respectable family.” Share what this guy accomplished with your friends and family, and consider becoming a donor yourself.