BERLIN, N.J., Nov. 23 (UPI) ─ A New Jersey man said spotting an ad in the wrong section on Craigslist turned out to be the first step in a process which ended with him donating a kidney to a stranger.
Glenn Calderbank of Berlin said he was browsing the website for construction supplies when his attention was caught by an ad placed in the wrong section.
“I was looking on Craigslist and I just happened to come across an ad that struck my eye,” Calderbank told CBS New York. “Somebody was asking for a kidney for their wife.”
The post was authored by Kay Saria, whose wife, Nina, was in need of a kidney.
Calderbank said he lost his wife, Jessica, to kidney failure four years ago after her body rejected a donated organ from a cadaver.
“I was meant to see that,” Calderbank said. “I believe that Jessica somehow ─ or karma ─ whatever it is. Put that in the wrong spot because that’s the only place I go on the computer anyways.”
Nina Saria said she hadn’t expected a reply on the post.
“My husband came up with the idea to put an ad on Craigslist,” she told NJ.com. “I got a lot of prayers, but no one to donate. I wanted to give up, but Kay didn’t.”
Saria soon received a message from Calderbank.
“I said ‘look — I know I’m a match.’ She said ‘how do you know that?'” Calderbank said. “I said there’s no way that I saw your ad by accident.”
The surgery is scheduled for Dec. 1 at University of Pennsylvania Hospital.
“I’m scared to death,” he said. “I’ve never had any medical problems and I am, on purpose, going to have my body opened up and have a part taken out. But I’m doing it because I want to help.”
Saria said she is hoping Calderbank’s sacrifice inspires others to donate.
“Not a lot of people know much about kidney donation,” Saria said. “I really wanted people to know that he was a stranger from Craigslist and now we’re friends. People can’t believe how someone can be so nice and brave. So, I think we need to spread the word around that donating a kidney is not deadly and maybe we can save more people who are on dialysis like me.”
