By DAN PELTON Although it’s not uncommon for local residents to donate time and money to worthwhile causes, there are times when acts of charity are truly noteworthy.

One such instance involves a local woman who, on April 14, will donate a kidney to an Orangeville man who has been on dialysis for five years.

Sara Wilson’s gift will help Cameron Stevens get off the arduous regime of three-timesa week dialysis that was nearing the point, he says, of no longer being effective in the fight against kidney failure.

“God gave me two,” reasons Ms. Wilson. “I can lead a normal life with just one, so why not give one.”

Another remarkable part of the story is that she was not the only local person who came forward inquire about donating an organ to Mr. Stevens, father of two, after his plight became public last October. Up to 18 people offered to help, he recalls.

Besides general compassion for another human being, Ms. Wilson had other reasons for wanting to help.

“My first husband was dia- betic,” she says. “He died due to complications. If he could have got a pancreas donation, he might still be around.” Ms. Wilson adds that, each year, between three and five per cent of people in need of an organ transplant in Ontario die because they cannot obtain one.

As for the kidney she is donating to Mr. Stevens, “I don’t even think of it as mine, any more. It’s already his.” Both are grateful that medical staff found her kidney to be pretty well a perfect match for the one Mr. Stevens needs.

Once the operation is completed, Ms. Wilson figures she will be off work from four to six weeks before returning to light-duty tasks at the Orangeville branch of the OSPCA, where she works as an animal cruelty prevention officer.

She says the OSPCA “has been supportive like you would not believe. My partner’s been absolutely great.”

Mr. Stevens, whose condition has prevented him from working on a steady basis for five years, will need to travel back and forth from Toronto after the procedure is performed.

A trust fund has been set up to help him, his spouse Stephanie Banks, and their two children during this transition period.

Anyone wishing to make a donation can drop into any Orangeville TD Canada Trust location and make the donation out to account number 6337543, branch 3160. Cheques can be made out to Cameron Stevens.

Photo/DAN PELTON A LIFE-SAVING EXCHANGE: in three weeks, Sara Wilson, left, and Cam Stevens will make the trip to Toronto where Sara will donate a kidney to Cam to help him bring a possible end to five years of three-times-a-week dialysis treatments.