'I was crying, his mum was crying' - the pilot whose kidney saved a boy's life

Aly Coyle said it was "very emotional" meeting the six-year-old boy whose life she saved after donating a kidney

A woman has said meeting the six-year-old boy whose life she saved by donating her kidney was "very emotional".

Aly Coyle, 40, from County Down, who is an Aer Lingus pilot, said "there were tears" when she met Xaviar and his parents.

"I was crying and his mum was crying," Ms Coyle told BBC News NI. "I think Xaviar was a little bit bewildered about all the emotion."

Xaviar, from England, underwent a successful kidney transplant earlier this year making Ms Coyle the 100th person from Northern Ireland to donate a kidney to a stranger.

"It was just lovely to see him so happy and healthy, and it was lovely to see how much of an impact and difference it's made for their life and for them," Ms Coyle added.

Xaviar was born prematurely and diagnosed with kidney problems.

He was one week away from starting dialysis when his family learned an anonymous donor had been found.

"It was a rollercoaster ride for us," Xaviar's mother Hira Zaheer said.

"Xaviar previously did not eat well, it was a struggle for me giving him medicines and food. He was not growing properly but after the transplant life changed 360-degrees.

"He's here, healthy and happy, running around. No one can tell by looking at him that he got his kidney transplant just this year."

Xaviar's father Umer Saaed said Aly Coyle deciding to donate was a "gift from the Lord"

Xaviar's father, Umer Saaed, was not a suitable match for his son but when Xaviar received his transplant, he donated one of his kidneys to another patient in return.

"It is a gift from the Lord that he sent her (Aly) a message into her mind that she needed to donate," he said.

"She is such a very nice person. Luckily Xaviar is very energetic after the transplant.

"A couple of months after the surgery he had a sports day and he won a prize in throwing."

'She is part of our family now'

Altruistic or non-directed living donation rarely allows donors and recipients to meet.

Typically only letters with limited information are exchanged through the hospital but Ms Zaheer managed to track down Ms Coyle.

"Aly sent us letters and cards and she also sent a toy plane from the airline she works for so I Googled her and found her, and then followed her on Instagram," she said.

"When we then sent cards with our names and she realised who we were, we connected with each other."

Ms Zaheer said she really wanted to meet Ms Coyle to thank her in person.

"When I met her - I was the person who opened the door - my tears wouldn't stop," she said.

"I could not stop giving her a hug. Initially, it felt like I am meeting a sister, she is an angel and she is part of our family now."

Hira Zaheer says her son Xaviar is now "healthy and happy"

Ms Coyle travelled to England to meet Xaviar nine months after deciding to donate, inspired by a friend who needed a kidney but for whom she was not a match.

Donating to a stranger was illegal in the UK until shortly before 2011.

Ms Coyle said the process was straightforward and rewarding with "minimal impact" on her life.

"There was a few weeks of downtime after the operation but my life has gone completely back to normal - I have no limitations whatsoever - and he gets to live a normal life which he didn't have before," she said.

"I plan to be there for every birthday going forward and his family has actually invited me to a family wedding next year.

"It's been wonderful to connect with them and it's great to have that relationship now with them going forward as well."

'Organ donation changed our lives'

As Northern Ireland's 100th living donor, Aly was honoured, along with the country's first donor Anne Page, at a Stormont reception earlier this year

Both families are sharing their story to promote organ donation.

Ms Zaheer said the family were "hopeless and helpless" after waiting almost two years for a donor match.

"When we found out there was a person who is ready to do this for us it changed our lives," she said.

"I believe it is very important to spread awareness that how one kind gesture of a person can change the lives of so many people. Aly donated a kidney to my son but it changed our whole family's life."

As Northern Ireland's 100th living donor, Aly was honoured, along with the country's first donor Anne Page, at a Stormont reception earlier this year held by Health Minister Mike Nesbitt.

The renal team at Belfast City Hospital performed 137 kidney transplants in 2020 - more than 100 during the Covid-19 pandemic, including a UK-record-equalling five in 24 hours.

The same feat was achieved in 2015, while in late 2023 three-year-old Olly Cartmill became the smallest recipient of a kidney transplant.