When both of Marcus Edwards’ kidneys failed, he was put on a list of 113,000 other people also in desperate need of finding a donor.
Until he could find one, he had to rely on dialysis, a treatment that would give him around five years of support. Marcus had to undergo this crucial, time-consuming process five days a week for three hours at a time.
In the midst of his health issues, Marcus relied heavily on his wife and kids who, one day, surprised him with stellar tickets to a Chicago Bears game. The whole trip had already been planned out, too – all he had to do was go and have fun!
While there, they came across an area with posters, markers, and other crafts that fans could use to make a sign for the game. When Marcus noticed, he immediately came up with a brilliant idea. He decided to use this as an opportunity to let people across the country know he was in search of a kidney!
His sign never made it on television like he’d hoped, but it did catch the eye of a woman sitting near them in the stadium. She asked if she could take a photo of Marcus with the sign so she could share it online, and he happily obliged.
When Marcus woke up the next day, he was hoping to find that at least one person had reached out. Instead, he discovered that his phone was absolutely blowing up with hundreds of calls!
“I break down every time,”when thinking about the generosity, Marcus said. “It’s not like holding the door for somebody. It’s not like, ‘Hey, you dropped your wallet.’ It’s a part of them that’s going to help you live.”
More than 4,000 people who decided to see if they were a match came back as O Positive, just the blood type Marcus needed! Then, after narrowing it down even more, they donor they chose was Jennifer Michel.
“There was a complete stranger 15 minutes from me that just saved my life,” Marcus said. “It was incredible.”
She didn’t meet Marcus until two days after surgery, but now that she has, she’s become another member of the family.
Marcus and his family can’t get over just how lucky they are.
“Now looking back, she (Marcus’ wife) couldn’t have spent enough for these tickets,”Marcus said. “They were the right tickets, at the right spot, at the right time. They were the best tickets in the house.â€
Share this story of incredibly generosity with a friend.
Want to be happier in just 5 minutes a day? Sign up for Morning Smile and join over 455,000+ people who start each day with good news.