A Saudi man’s quiet act of selflessness has touched hearts across the Kingdom after it was revealed that he secretly donated a kidney to his best friend of 17 years—without ever telling him until after the surgery.
Shaaker Al Otaibi made the life-altering decision to become a donor for his longtime friend Fahad, who had been suffering from end-stage kidney failure. For years, Fahad had fought the illness without knowing that the one person who could save him had already stepped forward.
Al Otaibi shared his story during a guest appearance on Sabah Al Arabiya, where he disclosed that Fahad had no idea who his donor was until after the transplant was completed.
“I just wanted to save his life,” Al Otaibi said. “When we learned that our tissue matched, I took it as a sign and moved forward.”
Their bond, forged nearly two decades ago, had already weathered the trials of time and illness—but this unspoken act of sacrifice brought it to a new level, triggering widespread admiration and discussion about the power of friendship and the importance of organ donation.
According to the Saudi Centre for Organ Transplantation, live donor transplants in the Kingdom rose to 1,706 in 2024, marking a 4.9% increase from the year before. Of those, 1,284 were kidney donations—further highlighting the growing commitment to saving lives.
Globally, Saudi Arabia now ranks third in live organ donations, according to the Global Observatory on Donation and Transplantation (GODT).
“I didn’t want praise or recognition,” Al Otaibi said. “I just wanted my friend back.”
