A teacher has saved the life of a seriously ill pupil by giving her one of his kidneys. Ray Coe, age-53, stepped in to rescue Alya Ahmed Ali, age 13, after learning she was desperate for a donor.
Ayla from Stratford, east London, suffered from renal
failure. She also has hydrocephalus, water on the brain which has resulted in
her having severe learning difficulties.
Her worried mother told Mr Ray Coe during the summer term
last year 2013 that Ayla would be absent
from school as she had to have kidney dialysis. Concerned, Mr. Ray Coe, a
special educational needs coordinator, asked what he could do to help her.
The pair went on to have blood tests and against all the
odds, they showed that Ray was a match - despite not being related. The
successful transplant went ahead at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital in
February 2014.
Both Alya and Mr Coe are now recovering well from the
operation and are expected to return to school after the Easter break. Mr
Coe said: 'For her parents, it’s not words that can express their gratitude.
For them, I have saved their daughter’s life.
He said: 'Ray has given Alya much more than just the gift
of life. He’s an amazing man, we owe him so much.
