New Developments In Transplant Operation Attributed To Craigslist Ad
BERLIN, NJ (CBS) -- A surgery scheduled for Tuesday, at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, has been cancelled, because unforeseen medical issues according to hospital officials.
The ad on Craigslist, that brought two strangers together, was titled Looking for a Brave Person to Donate a Kidney.
Glenn Calderbank, of West Berlin, is donating one of his kidneys to a woman he never met. It all happened after reading her family's plea in a misplaced advertisement.
The Craigslist ad titled Looking for a Brave Person to Donate a Kidney, mistakenly ended up in the building materials section. This misplaced ad caught the eye of Glenn, a contractor.
"I knew, I knew I was a match from the second I saw that," Glenn said.
The recipient is Nina Saria of nearby Egg Harbor. Nina has an autoimmune disease that caused her kidneys to fail, so she needed dialysis.
"I wanted to be able to see my child grow," Nina said. "I wanted to see him in the future. I didn't want to die."
Nina was on the transplant waiting list, and when no donors were found, her husband placed an ad on Craigslist.
Glenn believes he was destined to see it because of Jessica, his first wife. In 2004, she also suffered kidney failure and went on dialysis, while raising her young son.
Eventually, Jessica received a kidney from a donor who had died, but her body rejected the organ.
"The years of dialysis, and the transplants, then dialysis, she really wasn't viable for another transplant," Glenn said. "In 2011, she passed away."
"I remember once when she was in the hospital, I said if I could be there instead of you I would," said Glenn. "She's probably laughing and saying, 'here's your chance'."
"There's no word for me to express how thankful I am," Nina said.
A statement from the hospital says both patients are in good condition. We asked the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania if and when the surgery would be rescheduled. We have not heard back. We'll stay on this and keep you posted with any new developments.