10 Strangers Take Part in Rare Kidney Donation Chain

Back in March, 10 people, most of whom did not know each other, came together to take part in a rare medical feat: a kidney donation chain. Such chains are a way for people to indirectly donate their organs to a loved one while also helping another person in need. Though the concept sounds like a made-up plotline from Grey’s Anatomy, doctors at Houston Methodist hospital pulled off the multi-day procedure in real life. This particular chain began with 20-year-old Michael Wingard, who gave his kidney to a woman named Heather O'Neil Smarrella. At the bottom of the chain was Wingard’s friend Kaelyn Connelly — the reason he signed up for the operation. Dr. A. Osama Gaber, the head of the Texas hospital’s transplant program, described kidney transplants as life-changing for the nearly 100,000 people in the U.S. who need them. And the patients couldn’t agree more. Chris McLellan, one of the recipients, told his donor: “Thank you for giving me my life back.”

How the Chain Worked