Skip to content
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Menu
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Happy News

The Knock On The Door That Led To A Beautiful Gift

Tim Swinburn from Melksham in Wiltshire knocked on Clare Brixey’s door in Standerwick, Somerset in 2004 with the worst news any parent can receive: her 20-year-old son Ashley had died in a car crash. As the family liaison officer from Wiltshire Police, Swinburn provided compassionate support and became someone Brixey found very easy to talk to during the darkest time in her life. She was already suffering from kidney failure and reliant on dialysis when they first met, making an already tragic situation even more challenging. The pair forged an unexpected friendship that lasted 21 years through life’s ups and downs, supporting each other through difficult times and joking that they were like siblings.

When Swinburn, who resigned from Wiltshire Police in 2007 to become a support worker at The Salvation Army’s Swindon Booth House, learned that Brixey’s previous kidney transplant was failing, he made an extraordinary offer she couldn’t refuse: one of his kidneys, telling her he wouldn’t take no for an answer. The successful four-hour transplant at Southmead Hospital in Bristol took place in October, and both have recovered beautifully with Swinburn already back at work. Brixey has gone horse riding for the first time in years and is spending precious time with her daughter and granddaughter, proving the transplant gave her more than just health. Swinburn says giving the gift of life is simply a human thing to do, and seeing his friend out there riding her horse again and enjoying life with her family makes everything worthwhile.

PrevPreviousChocolate Waste Just Became The Future Of Food Coloring
NextThe Turtle Comeback Of The CenturyNext

Recent Articles

Happy News

The Global Operation That Rescued 30,000

December 15, 2025

Law enforcement agencies from 134 countries joined forces in a massive global operation that rescued nearly 30,000 live animals from illegal trafficking networks. Operation Thunder 2025 ran from September 15 to October 15 and resulted in a record-breaking 4,640 seizures including tens of thousands of protected animals, plants, and illegally

Read More
Happy News

The 80 Year School Lunch Rule That Finally Changed

December 15, 2025

The Senate just passed a bill that would end an 80-year federal requirement forcing public schools to serve only cow’s milk at lunch, opening the door for plant-based alternatives for the first time in American history. The Whole Milk For Healthy Kids Act passed unanimously in November and would allow

Read More
Happy News

Miami Just Made History With This Groundbreaking Election

December 15, 2025

Miami voters made history this week by electing Eileen Higgins as the city’s first woman mayor in its 130-year history. The former Miami-Dade County commissioner defeated her Republican opponent in a special runoff election, marking the first time in nearly three decades that a Democrat will lead Florida’s second-largest city.

Read More
« Previous Next »
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2025 HappyNews.