Teacher saves sick pupil by giving her his kidney by JOEL TAYLOR A TEACHER has saved the life of a seriously ill pupil by giving her one of his kidneys. Ray Coe, 53, stepped in to help Alya Ahmed Ali, 13, in the nick of time. The father-of-one said: ‘I just knew it was the right thing to do.’ She suffers from water on the brain, leaving her with learning difficulties, as well as renal failure. Last summer, her mother told Mr Coe that Alya would be absent from school because she had to have kidney dialysis. Mr Coe, a special educational needs co-ordinator at Royal Docks Community School in Custom House, east London, knows the family well. ‘I said “Can I put my name down as a donor?,” he recalled. ‘I knew what being a donor meant and I knew there was a chance it could go ahead and I knew the implications. ‘I knew exactly what I was doing, There is a verse in the Bible that says something like, “Maybe you were born for such a time as this”. It just clicked and I knew then that it was right. When we told Alya, she just gave me a big squeeze and her face lit up. ‘It brings tears to my eyes whenever I think of that.’ The successful transplant took place at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital in February. Both Alya and Mr Coe are recovering well 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. It’s like I am a family member now.’ Alya’s thrilled father, Ahmed Ali, 47, from Stratford, said: ‘Ray has given Alya much more than just the gift of life. He’s an amazing man, we owe him so much.’ School headteacher Wendy Bower said: ‘Mr Coe has gone above and beyond the call of duty with this selfless and noble act. ‘He is a very humble and modest man. The staff are in admiration for his kindness.’
Posted on: Thu, 03 Apr 2014 18:15:21 +0000
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