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Woman's appeal for kidney donor on car window pays off

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Kidneys shown as part of the human anatomy model.
Kidneys shown as part of the human anatomy model.

A US woman's unusual method of finding a kidney donor has paid off: She painted an appeal on the rear window of her car.

The Portland Press Herald reported that Christine Royles of Maine was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease which led to kidney failure in December 2013.

She went on the national waiting list to find a donor, but decided to take matters into her own hands.

Josh Dall-Leighton, a 30-year-old a father of three, saw the message on Royles' car window, which included a phone number. He called.

The stranger has been classified as a potential match and the surgery is set for May.

Royles calls Josh's generosity "unbelievable."

Brush up your kidney knowledge

The kidneys are located in the abdominal cavity below the diaphragm. It can be found at the lower end of the rib cage in the middle of your back. The left kidney lies a few centimeters higher than the right.

Kidney failure is a potentially life-threatening disease. Also called renal failure, it is a condition in which the kidneys lose their ability to function properly.

This deterioration of renal function can be sudden or it can develop over a period of time.

To understand the implications of renal failure you need to keep the basic functions of the kidney in mind; namely to remove excess fluid and waste, to maintain the chemical balance of the body and to produce certain important hormones and enzymes.

Therefore kidney failure can lead to an overload of fluid in the body, that adds to the workload of the heart, raises blood pressure and could lead to heart failure.

Also read:

The dark world of internet kidney trafficking

Should you have the right to sell your organs for profit?

Screened 'high-risk' kidneys safe for organ transplant

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