Maine woman puts up road signs, finds a kidney

PORTLAND, Maine - Linda Deming found out in December of 2014 she needed a new kidney. She was told it would take three to six years to find a donor the traditional way, which involves more or less waiting on a very long list for a deceased organ donor.

In the meantime, dialysis was necessary.

"It's horrible, I was trying to think earlier, its five hours a day, three days a week. How much of my life has that sucked away? It's a lot," Deming told CBS affiliate WBME in Portland.

Instead of waiting, the Pownal native took action, and put up signs in her yard, on her car, along roadways, anywhere and everywhere, asking people to consider donating and get tested to see if they were a match.

"I knew right away I wasn't waiting for a deceased kidney, that I had to find my own," said Deming.

A married mother of four contacted her via her Facebook page in September, told her she was a match, and agreed to donate. After months of testing, doctors gave the green light last week for the transplant to go forward.

The Associated Press reports the donor is 37-year-old Amber McIntyre from Kenduskeag. She will meet Deming the night before the surgery, scheduled for March 1st at Maine Medical Center.

"She has to just be a wonderful person," Deming said. "We went out in search of a live donor and I'm still amazed at the number of people that don't even know me but are willing to give me a piece of their body to save me."

Deming said her donor could be out of work for up to three weeks after the surgery. If you'd like to help her donor with lost wages during her recovery, you can contact Deming at 207-688-2262.