Tom Brady inspires man to donate kidney
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A recent plea from New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady inspired a Massachusetts man to donate one of his kidneys to a complete stranger.
Peter Hughes, 48, told New England Cable News he had long considered becoming an organ donor but the star quarterback's plea to help locate a kidney for his mentor, Tom Martinez, sparked Hughes to action.
Martinez died in February at age 66 after suffering a heart attack during a dialysis session. But Hughes said Brady's plea led him to MatchingDonors.com, where he discovered Ajsa Bethiel, a mother of two from war-torn Bosnia who was in desperate need of a new kidney.
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After discovering he was a match, Hughes followed through and gave one of his kidneys to the woman who now resides in Lexington, Mass.
"Had it not been for that particular article, I probably wouldn't have done it," said Hughes, who was still recovering Wednesday at his home little more than a week after surgeons took his kidney.
Brady, speaking on WEEI radio in Boston Wednesday morning, praised Hughes' decision after hearing the news.
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"That's pretty cool to hear," Brady said. "We worked pretty hard to help Tom, unfortunately time ran out, but I'm glad some other people really got some help."