Virginia Santa Gives a Stranger His Own Kidney in the Greatest Act of Kindness

Dave Bell has been Powhatan, Virginia’s Santa Claus for years. He’s well known. Every December, he puts on the iconic Santa suit and lights up the faces of thousands of children. But this summer, he found a different way to spread the joy of giving.

Bell decided to donate one of his kidneys to a complete stranger. Anonymously. According to Bell, the decision wasn’t hard at all.

In fact, his reasoning was quite simple: “I have two of these things, and I only need one,” he said. “There’s somebody who has none and they need one.”

To be eligible for donation, Bell had to lose 40 pounds (about 18 kg). And he did it. Then he checked into Henrico Doctors’ Hospital in Henrico County, Virginia. He then underwent the procedure and woke up in a hospital bed with one more reason to be proud of himself.

He chose to wear his Santa hat while recovering in the hospital bed.

Dr. Amanda Bailey, transplant surgeon at the Virginia Transplant Center at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital, has seen many donors come through her operating room. Dave Bell’s story truly surprised her.

“Stories like Dave’s make organ donation feel real and personal,” she said. “They show that donation is possible and that one person can make an enormous difference in someone else’s life.”

The hospital noted that the need for kidneys is too much compared to the supply. Living donors like Bell give recipients another possible path to care, often sooner than they would otherwise receive it.

Bell’s recipient will likely never know his name. Bell is at peace with that.