Angela's Angel

It started with a few little words in a local Illinois paper ...

"4-year-old girl in desperate need of kidney transplant."

... little words that spoke volumes to 38-year-old David Harper of nearby Mount Morris, Ill.

"I don't think I could live with myself if something happened and I didn't do it," said the modern-day good Samaritan.

On Friday, as CBS News Correspondent Elizabeth Kaledin reports, Harper did just that in a 2-hour surgery in a hospital in Madison, Wis. Harper gave one of his kidneys to Angela Rushford -- a little girl he did not know. Both were in good condition Friday night.

"He's my hero ... when I was a kid, it was Spiderman ... now it's David Harper," said Angela's father, Tony Rushford.

Angela had been diagnosed with a rare kidney disorder and was declining fast. She'd been on a kidney donor list for months and was facing kidney failure and a lifetime of dialysis. The want ad was her parent's most public prayer.

"It's like a miracle ... a dream come true,'' said Tony Rushford.

It may, in fact, be a miracle of sorts. David Harper had never even picked up a copy of the Rock River Times before the day he read Angela's ad. He was a perfect match and thought it was meant to be.