When Ben Malone saw a young girl drowning in the sea he jumped into help without hesitation. And he’s not the only stranger who deserves a special mention for saving someone’s life in 2025
Christmas is the time when we exchange gifts and show our appreciation for people we love. But what would you do if a complete stranger needed you to give them the ultimate present – the gift of life?
We spoke to five people who did just that – each saving the life of a stranger in 2025. Some were completely by chance – combining quick thinking, bravery and often vital first aid training to bring someone back from the brink of death.
Others were acts of true altruism – donating organs and stem cells to save someone they have not met, who may choose to remain anonymous.
Each of our good samaritans made it possible for the people they saved to enjoy a Christmas with their families that they may otherwise not have lived to see. Here they share their extraordinary stories with Mirror readers.
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Seeing a little girl struggling in the sea, without hesitation, binman Ben Malone swam to her rescue. Dad Ben, 29, from the Wirral, was in Rhyl, North Wales, with his partner Charmaine, an administrator, and their kids Olivia, six, and Joe, three, when he spotted Shylah, eight, on an inflatable.
He says: “We had just come back from the shop near the beach to get some drinks, as it was a really hot day and, within seconds, I knew she was in trouble. The inflatable had been caught in a riptide and was quickly being taken away from shore. She was shouting for help.
“I dropped everything and ran through the water and then started swimming as fast as I could to her. When I got to her, she fell off the inflatable and I managed to keep her afloat and swim with her towards the shore.”
Joined by another man, who swam over to help as they got closer to the beach, between them they got Shylah to the sand. Ben continues: “Her mum was in tears and in total shock.” The families have stayed in touch since the incident in July and whenever he sees Shylah having fun on social media, Ben feels so grateful that he was able to help.
Shylah’s mum Moira Malcolm, 34, who also has two sons aged three and 19 months, and lives in Prestwich, Manchester, says: ‘‘Words can’t express how thankful we were that Ben saved her life. We have just been to Disneyland Paris on a family holiday and we had a very special Christmas, knowing what could have happened. “
Reading an article about altruistic organ donation – when a living person donates usually a kidney or part of a liver to a stranger purely to help them – set mum Sarah Leaf thinking.
Designer and researcher Sarah, 43, who has a 10-year-old daughter, says: “It made perfect sense to me. If I am healthy and can live with just one kidney, why wouldn’t I give my other one away to help someone else.”
So, she started researching and in March this year, she went under the knife. Sarah, of south east London, says: “I had to go through 12 months of rigorous tests including health and psychological checks, the latter was to make sure I wasn’t being forced into it. I knew there were risks to me, but I had complete faith in the process.
The person whose life she stayed is currently anonymous and may choose never to have their identity revealed. “Often I wonder who is walking around with my kidney inside them, but I have to accept that I may never know who it is,” says Sarah.
Her reward came when she discovered she had helped save not one, but three lives. She says: “Afterwards, I found I had been part of a chain, so three people were able to have a kidney transplant because of me donating mine, which felt amazing.”
Smacking a stranger’s child on the back in a restaurant wouldn’t normally be recommended, but when Tom Lee Newton did it he saved the toddler’s life, Network manager Tom, 36, only ended up in the restaurant as his first choice was fully booked. The dad, who lives in Todmorden, west Yorkshire, with wife Sasha, 37, a full time mum, and their four children Kian, 14, Niamh, six, Eoghan, five, and Niall, three, recalls his wife noticing a woman in distress.
He says: “Sasha suddenly noticed that a lady on the table opposite was panicking, and she screamed to me that a toddler with the lady was choking. I’ve done first aid courses in the past, but it was pure instinct that kicked in. The toddler, Huxley Watters, was limp and drifting in and out of consciousness. I grabbed him and gave him five smacks on his back.
“It took me three rounds of five back thumps before, eventually, a bit of chip came flying out that had become lodged in his throat. When I was a child, a girl who lived nearby got a piece of lollipop stuck in her throat and died, and it shows how easy it can happen.” The choking incident was in April and the two families have spent some special times together since. Tom says: “We have met up with Huxley and his mum Sarah since, and we were invited to Huxley’s christening, which was really special.”
A heart patient lived to celebrate his 50th wedding anniversary in hospital, thanks to the quick thinking of passerby Sarah Taylor. Sarah, 49, who works in the construction industry, was getting off the train to celebrate her birthday at a restaurant with her family in September, when she saw a man lying on the ground.
Luckily, Sarah, who lives in Woking with partner Ian, has been St John’s Ambulance trained and administered life saving saving CPR to the man, Bob, who she discovered needed a triple heart bypass and had suffered a cardiac arrest. She says: “The station was near the football ground and there had been a match between Sheffield Wednesday and Portsmouth that day.
“I had got off the train and was walking up the steps when I saw a man lying on the ground at the top. I got him into the recovery position and gave him CPR until the paramedics arrived.” Bob’s daughter Amy Dewane contacted St John’s Ambulance afterwards and passed on that he was able to celebrate his 50th wedding anniversary in hospital.
Sarah says: “That was lovely to hear. I hope one day that I will be able to meet up with Bob and his family. I feel privileged to have saved his life.” A former Metropolitan Police officer, Bob, who is married to wife Jackie, 69, is now recovering, according to Amy, who is based in Worthing. She says: “Sarah is truly a real-life hero. Dad and my mum managed to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in the hospital with myself and my two sisters Charlotte and Laura by their side, which was incredibly special.”
Intensive care nurse Claudia Cashman donated her stem cells in May to save a stranger’s life. The 25-year-old, of Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, joined the stem cell register in 2021 and was initially emailed in March, telling her she was a match. She says: ‘I’ve helped to save lots of lives in the intensive care unit this year, but it feels very special to have donated my own stem cells to save a life.
“I didn’t know if I would ever receive a call saying my help was needed, but in March this year I got an email to say I was a match for someone.” On that occasion, a better match was found and Claudia was stood down. But her chance soon came. She says: “Just two months later I got another call to ask if I would donate. “It hadn’t worked out with the first donor and I felt excited that this time I was going to get to do it.
“In my job I get to meet people who have been saved by a transplant, so I know what a special gift it is.” The procedure took a day, after which she just needed a good sleep to recover. She says: “Later I was told that the transplant had been successful. I would urge people to sign the donor register, as it creates hope for people and really makes a difference.”
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