15. A Devastating Diagnosis
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When Wayne Winters was given the news that his wife of 26-years, Deanne, had stage-5 kidney failure it was a devastating blow. He had spent the past two and half decades with the love of his life and the thought of that time being cut short was almost too much to bear. Realizing he couldn’t simply wait on a donor, Wayne took matters into his own hands.
Wait until you see the loving sacrifice this man made for his wife.
14. The Perfect Marriage
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If you were to look up the definition of “love” in the dictionary you’d find a picture of Wayne and Deanne Winters. After 26 years of marriage bliss, nothing could have prepared the couple for the news they were about to here. Let’s just say it’s heartbreaking.
13. Shattered Reality
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After dealing with some health concerns, Deanne Winters went to the doctor for some routine tests. It was then she received the gut-wrenching news. She was in kidney failure and it had progressed to stage 5. So what did this mean for poor Deanne?
Unfortunately, she was about to find out her only options were less than ideal.
12. No Other Option
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Since Deanne’s kidney failure was so advanced, the only option would be a kidney transplant. Realizing that the odds were stacked against them, the couple had to face a grim reality. Wayne might have to spend his remaining golden years without his wife.
Do you think Wayne will accept such a fate?
11. The Transplant List
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Deanne was immediately placed on the kidney transplant list. Sadly, there was the possibility that she would die before receiving one due to the extensive length of the list. According to the National Kidney Foundation, up to 3,000 new patients are added to the transplant list on a monthly basis. Unfortunately, the statistics only get worse.
When you see what the daily death rate is for transplant list patients, you’ll be sick to your stomach.
10. Daily Death Rate
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With so many new patients being added to the transplant list monthly, the risk of passing before receiving a life-saving organ is quite high. According to the National Kidney Foundation, 13 people die every day waiting for a transplant. The statistics shook Deanne’s husband, and he knew he could not watch his wife slowly die as she suffered from dialysis.
But what could he possibly do to save her?
9. Wayne’s Big Plan
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Realizing it was up to him to save his wife, in October Wayne who had just turned 74 began to walk the streets off his hometown of Farr West, Utah. With a sandwich board over his neck that said “Need Kidney 4 Wife” on the front and his phone number and her blood type on the back, he hoped someone might come to their aid.
Would anyone answer this poor husband’s desperate plea?
8. Just A Few More Years
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“If she can have a good five years that would be awesome, we can have our life back,” Winters said. But what Wayne didn’t know was his story was about to take the world by storm.
Deanne was going to be closer to finding a kidney than he could have ever imagined.
7. Holding Out for Hope
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Every day Wayne would walk up and down the streets of the town. He was determined to find a kidney for his wife and spend many more years together. However, he had no idea the response his simple act of love would garner.
Do you think you could give a kidney to a stranger on the street?
6. An Overwhelming Response
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Wayne had hoped he would simply find one potential donor through his efforts; however, he ended up receiving hundreds of calls from people wishing to help his wife in any way they could. According to Wayne, he received close to 800 voice mails due to his story going viral.
Would Deanne finally find the kidney she so desperately needed?
5. Not Much Time Left
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The outpouring of support from strangers couldn’t have come at a better time. After spending two years on dialysis, Deanne didn’t know how much longer she had left. Time was of the essence if she was going to survive.
Thankfully, in November, the couple received a call they had been patiently waiting for.
4. A Kidney is Found
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After two years of uncertainty, Wayne and Deanne finally received some good news. The kidney they had so desperately needed had finally been found. But where had it come from? Did one of the many people who had called match Deanne’s blood type?
3. A Selfless Act
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Despite the hundreds of people willing to donate a kidney to Deanne, hers was actually being donated by an actual organ donor who had passed away. According to medical professionals, the new kidney will give the couple more time together, which is all they ever wanted.
However, Wayne’s mission was far from over.
2. Not Done Yet
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Despite Deanne finally receiving her kidney, Wayne has revealed he has no plans to stop walking the streets. According to him, there are others out there who deserve the same chance at life. For Wayne, he hopes to start a “kidney revolution.”
1. A Kind Soul
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“I will spend more of my days walking with my sign to see how many I can get,” he said. “Think about it, we could start a kidney revolution and that would be so great.”