![\"Stephen](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/1521\/live\/e741bfc0-6eb0-11ef-9449-fdbda7b582c0.jpg.webp\")
Stephen Topping<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\nA man who was inspired by his granddaughter to donate a kidney to a stranger has described meeting his recipient one year on as “surreal”.<\/p>\n Stephen Topping, from Lurgan, decided to donate an organ after his granddaughter experienced kidney problems and he became aware she may need a transplant in the future.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought if my granddaughter ever needed one \u2013 more than likely it might have to be from a stranger \u2013 so I thought: ‘Why can\u2019t I do it for somebody else?'”<\/p>\n Twelve months on from getting a new kidney, Amy Smith, from south-west England travelled to Lurgan to meet Stephen and his family in person for the first time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Amy said it was an emotional meeting.<\/p>\n \u201cI did get a bit wobbly with my husband walking through departures in the airport, but it\u2019s like I\u2019ve known Stephen forever,” she told BBC News NI. <\/p>\n “It\u2019s just really nice to have met my donor. It\u2019s really nice that we can meet and stay in contact and become one big happy family.”<\/p>\n Amy said she hoped the two families would stay in touch.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve gone back to being me rather than me and my machine,” she added.<\/p>\n \u201cYou only need one kidney to be able to live a normal life and you could save so many people\u2019s lives by just donating that one kidney.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The Toppings held a party at the weekend to celebrate meeting Amy in person and Stephen’s granddaughter Georgia was there.<\/p>\n She has not needed a transplant so far but is appreciative of what her grandad has done.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat my granda has done is a really nice thing to do and that he [did] it because of what\u2019s happened to me \u2013 it\u2019s really nice,” Georgia said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was surreal hearing Amy the first time I spoke to her on the phone and it was so surreal meeting her in person. It just makes it all worthwhile,\u201d added Stephen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Daith\u00ed\u2019s law was introduced in Northern Ireland in 2023<\/a> so that most adults in Northern Ireland are now considered potential organ donors after death unless they opt out. <\/p>\n The law only applies to people aged 18 and over.<\/p>\n It is also possible – as in Stephen\u2019s case – to be a living donor. <\/p>\n The most common type is kidney donation, when one organ is removed from a healthy individual and transplanted into someone else.<\/p>\n It is not always the case that a family member is a suitable donor match and kidneys may also be donated by someone who is not genetically related to the recipient. <\/p>\n In many cases that donor can be a stranger, known as an altruistic donor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n More than half the population of Northern Ireland have opted in to become donors and recorded their wishes by signing the NHS Organ Donor Register.<\/p>\n In total 1,053,541 people had signed up by May 2024.<\/p>\n With 55% of all residents saying yes, Northern Ireland has the highest percentage of willing donors of all UK regions.<\/p>\n The same register can also be used if you want to opt out of becoming an organ donor.<\/p>\n Not everyone will be automatically considered as a donor as there are several groups excluded from the scope of the legislation.<\/p>\n At the end of June this year, there were 166 patients on the organ transplant waiting list in Northern Ireland<\/a>. <\/p>\n Of those, 85 were on a kidney transplant list.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/bbcx\/grey-placeholder.png\")
![\"Amy](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/a0b4\/live\/447fe080-6eb2-11ef-9449-fdbda7b582c0.jpg.webp\")
Amy Smith<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n‘My granda did a really nice thing’<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
![\"Amy](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/f838\/live\/e46baa70-6eb2-11ef-9449-fdbda7b582c0.jpg.webp\")
Amy Smith<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\nHow many people are registered organ donors?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n