YOUTHFUL AMBITION

When she was 16, Leah Stewart dreamed of becoming a kidney donor. At 21, her organ donation helped save a friend’s life, then she took her caring and sharing message to the ends of the earth

Words Monique McKenzie

Most of us have conjured up a bucket list of some form – the things we want to see, do or achieve in our lifetime. Perhaps it’s to climb the Eiffel Tower, run a marathon, or learn to play an instrument. But when 16-year-old Leah Stewart wrote hers in 2007, donating a kidney was at the top of her list. Now 23, Auckland-based Leah, a freelance camera operator and photographer who also works as a disability support worker, underwent surgery just after her 21st birthday to donate her left kidney to help a school friend, Denny, who had end-stage renal failure. “Donating a kidney was one of those things I was always curious about,” says Leah. “I didn’t necessarily know anyone who had done it, but I knew from a…

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NEXT (Digital) - 1 Issue, June 2019

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