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The gift of life

Brenda鈥檚 daughter, Kielah, donated a kidney to a stranger so that her mother could receive a transplant.

Brenda, a Canadian mother living with chronic kidney disease, was facing a long and uncertain wait for a transplant, until 2013 when her daughter Kielah stepped forward with an extraordinary act of love.

Kielah volunteered to donate a kidney, but when tests revealed she wasn鈥檛 a match, she refused to give up. Instead, she entered Canada鈥檚 paired exchange programme, donating her kidney to a stranger so that Brenda could receive a compatible one in return.

In a poignant letter for Dear Daughter, Brenda reflects on the 鈥渢icking clock鈥 of living with a transplant and her daily gratitude for the daughter whose selflessness saved her life. Now a mother herself, Kielah tells Namulanta Kombo about watching her mum鈥檚 decline and why, despite the risks, she didn鈥檛 hesitate to give up a kidney to save her mum.

To find out more about Dear Daughter, to take part, or read our privacy notice, please go to www.bbcworldservice.com/deardaughter. Or you can contact the team via WhatsApp on +44 800 030 4404.

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19 minutes

Last on

Sun 15 Mar 2026 11:32GMT

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