Ishmael Thorns, facing kidney failure and an uncommon blood type, turned to TikTok for help finding a kidney donor. Thorns posted videos, believing the right person would eventually see them. One of those videos appeared on the TikTok feed of Brandy Laman, a pharmacist who lives near Houston. Laman sent Thorns a message offering to donate one of her kidneys.
A Life-Changing Decision
Laman’s decision was also deeply personal. A few years earlier, her husband was diagnosed with leukemia, and a bone marrow transplant from a stranger in Germany saved his life. Laman said donating her kidney gave her the chance to provide that same gift to someone else.
Dr. Christie Gooden, a transplant surgeon at Methodist Dallas, said stories like theirs are what inspired her to pursue transplant medicine. Thorns was recovering well two weeks after surgery and plans to keep using TikTok to encourage more people to become living kidney donors.
Thorns expressed his gratitude towards Laman, calling her his hero and angel, sent straight from God to bless him with a new chance at life. Laman said she was honored to have the opportunity to help someone in a life-changing way.
Original reporting: Dallas TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
