A lifesaving gift: 3 Alabama law students donate kidneys to strangers

By WVUA 23 Digital Reporter Kyrsten Eller

A trio of University of Alabama law students are doing more than earning degrees: they’ve saved lives.

Angelica Mamani, Katrina Smith and Ryne Smith all donated kidneys to people they didn’t even know through the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Donor Program.

According to UAB’s Kidney Center, more than 2,200 Alabamians need a kidney transplant. Mamani said making such a big donation is her way of giving back.

“I myself have been the recipient by way of scholarships and just various other things,” said Mamani. “Someone who has never met me giving some sort of a gift, so not knowing the person I actually appreciate more because it meant that there was no pressure, there was no guilt and there could be no question about doing it for the right reason.”

Each year, only about 200 kidney transplants across the nation come from donors who are not related to the recipients.

You can read the full story on the students and their donations through UA News right here.