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Man with ‘NEED KIDNEY 4 WIFE’ sign gets his wish

Posted at 1:35 PM, Sep 05, 2013
and last updated 2013-09-05 13:35:02-04

ANDERSON, S.C. – For the past year, Larry Swilling has been walking the streets of Anderson, South Carolina, with a sandwich-board sign saying: “NEED KIDNEY 4 WIFE.”

The same message was plastered on his pickup truck, and it has been his constant refrain. Swilling’s beloved wife, Jimmie Sue Swilling, was born with one kidney, and it is failing. Without a new one, she could die.

Swilling took to the streets with faith that he could help his wife’s chances. She is on a donor list, and Swilling himself is not a match, but as the story spread across the country, dozens of people contacted the couple hoping they could be tested for a donation, or at least make a financial contribution to the cause.

Finally, it appears, the Swillings’ wait is over.

The Medical University of South Carolina has told the Swillings it has found a match. While the couple doesn’t know exactly who the donor is, they say they believe it must be someone familiar with their story.

“I knew it was going to happen because I know him,” Jimmie Sue Swilling told HLN affiliate WHNS. “He wouldn’t have stopped until he got me one.”

The Swillings will visit the medical center next week for final tests. If all goes well, Jimmie Sue could get her new kidney as early as September 12.

It may seem like something of a miracle, but for Larry Swilling, success was the only outcome he could see.

“I’m going to keep going till I know … I got one,” Swilling told WHNS last year. “I’m going to keep that faith in my head.”

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