WEST ASHLEY, S.C. (WSVN) — A man in need of a kidney got the gift of life from a complete stranger.
According to WCIV, 40-year-old Starr Gardy passed by her local Walmart and parked next to a car with a message handwritten on the back window.
The message was written by Lashonda Pugh asking for a potential kidney donor for her 24-year-old son, Daniel Jones.
Gardy saw the message and said she felt compelled to help.
“I can’t really explain it, it just completely moved me,” Gardy said. “I took a picture of it, and I went in Walmart, and I was shopping, and all I could picture is someone in there who had this weight on their shoulders.”
After several months of testing, Gardy discovered she was a match and finally met Jones.
Jones now has a new kidney, and a new relationship with Gardy.
“It’s a lot knowing that I have her organ in my body,” he told WCIV. “We’re family now. She’s not just a stranger anymore; she’s my aunt.”
“I told him if you start to like wine now, I’m sorry,” Gardy joked. “Yes, I’m his aunt now. I’m Aunt Starr.”
Gardy now has about six weeks worth of recovery time ahead of her. However, she said its a small price to pay for saving a life.
“I want him to be able to do all the things he wants to do,” Gardy said. “I just want him to be able to live and have a good life.”
Jones now says he plans to enjoy life, including travel, and do the things he has been unable to do for years.
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