DETROIT – Local 4 has learned the story of a man in need of a kidney transplant, his donor, who doesn't want to be identified, and the girl who brought them together.
Ryan, a father of three, had a failing kidney and dialysis on the horizon. His girlfriend's 19-year-old daughter had an idea.
"He means so much to me," Lillian said.
She had an idea for an unusual mobile billboard, which struck a chord with a lot of people. She drove around with a sign in her back window that said, "Single dad needs a kidney."
The family said 215 people called offering to donate a kidney.
Doctors at Henry Ford Hospital finalized one donor as a perfect match, and two weeks ago they performed the transplant.
"It's amazing that someone would do this," Ryan said.
Now the donor is wearing an organ-shaped necklace, which was a special gift from Ryan's family. They said the kidney necklace is the least they could do after she gave Ryan a real kidney.
"It's the greatest thing I've done in my life," the donor said.
You can watch Jason Colthorp's full story in the video posted above.