Thumbs up kidney character cartoon style

A custodian working in Lower Manhattan recently received a new lease on life — and a life-saving kidney donation —  from a new coworker, according to an article on the ABC7 website.

In October of last year, Terron Hardy was dying and in desperate need of a kidney when coworker 60-year-old Ric Couchman noticed he seemed fatigued.

Hardy told Couchman he had been suffering from serious kidney problems and getting dialysis for years.

Couchman —  who had been employed at Brookfield Place in Lower Manhattan for only a few weeks — secretly began testing to see if he could be a kidney donor.

Couchman said he had been taught that if you have two of something and someone is in need, you give it to them.

It turned out he was a perfect match. The transplant took place in February, and the surgery was a success. Hardy, 43 is off dialysis and says he feels like a new man.

Anyone interested helping someone through living donation is encouraged to talk to him or her and the transplant program where the person is listed.

If you would like to be a nondirected living donor, contact a transplant center of your choice to find out if they have this type of donation program. You can find a complete list of transplant centers at OPTN Member Directory. You can also call the United Network for Organ Sharing patient services line at 1-888-894-6361 for help.

Read the full article here.