A British teacher has saved the life of one of his students by donating his kidney to the sick teenager.
Ray Coe, 53, is a special needs coordinator at the Royal Docks Community School in London. When it was brought to his attention that one of his students, 13-year-old Alya Ahmed Ali, would be missing school for dialysis treatment due to renal failure, Coe offered himself up as a potential donor, the London Evening Standard reported.
"I was just asking what the school could do ... when Alya comes back in, do we need to make any special arrangements, and then, I don't know if you ever get one of those little moments that go through your mind and you think, 'Well, actually, what can I do?'" Coe told BBC Radio.
Coe asked to be put on the donor list, and, although the odds were slim, tests revealed that he was a match for Alya who has hydrocephalus, which has resulted in a severe learning disability.
He says telling Alya made his selfless act all worth it.
"She just gave the biggest hug," he told BBC. "The look on her face will just stay with me forever."
The operation was carried out in February and the two are recovering well, according to the London Evening Standard.
"He has given her more than just the gift of life. He’s an amazing man, we owe him so much," Alya's father told the outlet of Coe.
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