A Bury St Edmunds woman has said she was "overwhelmed" with joy after saving her sister's life with a kidney transplant. 

Nemonee Stone, 55, registered as an organ donor in March 2003, hoping her decision would benefit people after her death, but her journey took a turn when her sister Monienne was diagnosed with stage 5 kidney failure at 51. 

After years of illness and treatments from home, Monienne critically needed a kidney from a living donor and, without hesitation, Nemonee donated one to her sister in October 2022. 

The sisters were treated by teams at Addenbrookes and Queen Elizabeth Birmingham Hospitals. 

Monienne (Left) and Nemonee (Right)Monienne (Left) and Nemonee (Right) (Image: National Kidney Federation)

Nemonee said: "The team at both hospitals were fantastic. I was terrified of being put to sleep, but they were brilliant.

"I was also worried for Monienne, as she had never had an operation before. I was overwhelmed with the joy of having saved my sister's life.

"We are both fine, my sister is doing well, and we are eternally grateful for all the support we received."

Nemonee has since participated in the Best Foot Forward Challenge, taking 70,951 steps to support the 70,951 people in the UK being treated for kidney failure, raising £155 for the National Kidney Federation (NKF) charity.

“I saw the NKF’s Best Foot Forward Challenge as an opportunity to raise awareness about live organ donation, particularly within the Black community, where there is a severe shortage of donors on the organ donor register in the United Kingdom,” said Nemonee.

“Live organ donation is an amazing thing to do. Even if you cannot or do not need to donate directly to a relative or spouse, you can still donate to someone else and save a life.”

For more information about the National Kidney Federation visit their website.

For information on organ donation, visit the NHS website.