Man finds donor months after picture goes viral of him wearing 'needs a kidney' shirt

MILWAUKEE -- Early in April, Lenny and Lincoln Zwieg were at Miller Park cheering on the Milwaukee Brewers and sporting shirts that said "Share your spare."

The shirt was an effort to help Lenny, 43, find a kidney donor. Lenny shared on his Facebook Page " Lenny Zwieg Needs A Kidney" that he is a father of three. He was diagnosed with IgA Nephropathy in 2004 a result of contracting Dengue Fever on a business trip to Africa.

Zwieg shared that for the last 12 years, his kidney functions had decreased and, as of April 2018, was in End Stage Renal (Kidney) Disease.

Fast forward five months later -- and the shirt paid off!

"I lost it in my office as my coworkers wondered what was going on. Concern quickly led to cheers, tears and hugs as I rushed out to call Becky and the kids. It was an amazing feeling," Zwieg posted on Facebook.

On Thursday, Oct. 4, Zwieg shared on Facebook that an anonymous person who saw the T-shirt/Social media campaign decided to start testing. Even though she was not a match, she did not give up on finding Zwieg a donor. 

"She made the heroic decision to continue the process and donate on my behalf through the National Kidney Registry (NKR). As a pair, we immediately got hits in the database," Zwieg said on Facebook.



"I’d like to thank this person for all she is doing for me and the gift of life she is willing to share," Zwieg posted on Facebook.

The transplant date for Zwieg is set for Nov. 2, 2018.