A South Carolina woman was making a routine stop at Walmart when she parked next to a car with a heartfelt plea for help written on it.
Star Gardy (40) noticed the writing on Lashonda Pugh’s car asking for a new kidney for her son, Daniel Jones (24).
Daniel had been undergoing years of dialysis and was in desperate need for a new kidney.
As Daniel’s mama, Lashonda, shares, “God came to me and was like you have to put the message out there. I don’t think, if I didn’t put that message on my vehicle, my son’s angel would not be here today giving him a kidney.”
When Star saw that plea, she couldn’t stop thinking about it. Star shares, “I can’t really explain it, it just completely moved me. I took a picture of it and I went in Walmart and I was shopping and all I could picture [was] someone in there who had this weight on their shoulders.”
Star wanted to donate one of her kidneys. It took months of preparation and testing to ensure the surgery would be a success . . . and it was!
The transplant occurred this past Wednesday.
Because hospitals are pretty strict regarding privacy and security issues, there was a possibility of the donor and recipient never having an opportunity to meet.
However, Lashonda was determined to find the person who was saving her son’s life.
The meeting happened last Thursday, just one day post-op, making Star a permanent part of Daniel and Lashonda’s family.
As Daniel tells it, “It’s a lot knowing that I have her organ in my body. We’re family now. [Star]’s not just a stranger anymore, she’s my aunt.
Star agrees, “Yes, I’m his aunt now. I’m Aunt Star.”
Daniel still has a rigorous recovery program that will take about six weeks, as transplants are often more difficult for the recipients, but that’s nothing compared to the fact that his life’s now been extended for many more years.
(Fox News)