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b'On June 24, 2015, Dawn Dorland, an essayist and aspiring novelist, did perhaps the kindest, most consequential thing she might ever do in her life. She donated one of her kidneys \\u2014 and elected to do it in a slightly unusual and particularly altruistic way. As a so-called nondirected donation, her kidney was not meant for anyone in particular, but for a recipient who may otherwise have no other living donor.\\n\\nSeveral weeks before the surgery, Ms. Dorland decided to share her truth with others. She started a private Facebook group, inviting family and friends, including some fellow writers from GrubStreet, the Boston writing center where she had spent many years learning her craft.\\n\\nAfter her surgery, she posted something to her group: a heartfelt letter she\\u2019d written to the final recipient of the surgical chain, whoever they may be. Ms. Dorland noticed some people she\\u2019d invited into the group hadn\\u2019t seemed to react to any of her posts. On July 20, she wrote an email to one of them: a writer named Sonya Larson.\\n\\nA year later, Ms. Dorland learned that Ms. Larson had written a story about a woman who received a kidney. Ms. Larson told Ms. Dorland that it was \\u201cpartially inspired\\u201d by how her imagination took off after learning of Ms. Dorland\\u2019s donation.\\n\\nArt often draws inspiration from life \\u2014 but what happens when it\\u2019s your life?'