Jan 15, 2023
Uber driver Tim Letts gave passenger Bill Sumiel more than a five-star drive.
In the summer of 2021, Letts picked up Sumiel from a medical appointment and drove him to his home in Salem, New Jersey. They chatted during the 40-minute journey, and Letts learned that Sumiel had just been told he needed to find a kidney donor.
At the end of the ride, Letts told Sumiel, "God must have put you in my car," and he offered to be his donor. "That about floored me," Sumiel told ABC 7. "I was shaking so bad I could barely write his name or number."
After undergoing testing, it was determined that Letts was a match, and eventually the transplant surgery took place. It was a success, and a year later, Sumiel said his life is almost back to normal. He wants people who are in similar situations to know "there is hope," and said if he "hadn't shared my story with Tim, I never would have gotten a kidney because he would not have known I needed one. Giving a kidney is actually a gift of life, and I feel so fortunate to have that gift."
Letts lives in Germany and is still best friends with Sumiel, the person whose life he saved.
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