A police officer and a family man received another chance in life after a stranger who lived several miles away decided to donate his kidney.
Forty-nine-year-old Raleigh Callaway works at Greensboro Police Department and has a family with his wife, Kristi, and two daughters, Braleigh and Delaini. He also had a stage 5 kidney disease, which was diagnosed early this year, that already required a transplant.
In a desperate attempt to seek out donors, the couple decided to take a family photo with their daughters holding up a sign pleading their daddy needed a brand-new kidney.
It quickly went viral, reaching Texas where Chris Carroll lived. Seeing the two girls made him realize that he might be the donor they're looking for. Informing his wife that donating may be his calling, he immediately contacted Emory University Hospital, which sent him a test kit.
The results came back several days after, and he was the perfect match.
However, since Callaway's health was rapidly declining, Carroll encouraged the hospital to speed up the transplant process, and last Thursday, Callaway underwent the surgery, with both of their families keeping vigil. He got what he was looking for in less than 10 weeks after the picture was posted.
Prior to the surgery, Callaway couldn't contain his happiness and gratitude to Carroll and his family, to whom they've bonded well throughout the entire ordeal. For Carroll, however, it was simply living a life of sacrifice and love toward others, especially those who are in need.
Today Callaway is currently recuperating, and his doctors had shared that his body is responding well to the new organ. Right next door was Carroll, who, after a while of waking up, took a few steps to visit his newfound friend.
His wife, meanwhile, along with photographer Brandy Angel who took the now-popular photo, set up Callaway's Angels, a non-profit organization that aims to help kidney patients looking for donors and to encourage people to donate.