A father of two in Frisco, Texas, is planning to help save a Mississippi man’s life by donating a kidney, even though the two have never met in person.
Years ago, Jonathon Seidl’s stepfather received a kidney transplant that gave him an extra 25 years with his beloved family, according to NBC 5.
In just a month’s time, Jon will donate his own kidney to help save Mississippi resident Ken Cook, a father of five children.
“I’ve been on the other side as a family member waiting and hoping and praying for a donor to come forward,” Jon explained.
In a tweet on September 7, he shared a photo of his family and the Cook’s and asked people to donate to his GoFundMe page to help pay Ken’s travel expenses to New Orleans for the surgery on October 14:
Let's save Ken's life! We're almost at $2,000 in just two days. Thank you everyone! Even $5 helps…seriously. And sharing is an incredible gift too. Let's continue spreading the word to save help Ken. https://t.co/qI83HGKdaZ pic.twitter.com/FE1PsHQ3sv
— Jonathon (Jon) M. Seidl (@jonseidl) September 7, 2020
As of Tuesday evening, the page had raised $11,535 of its $15,000 goal.
“It’s hard for me to comprehend that someone I’ve never met before will reach out to me in such a way like he’s doing,” Ken said of Jon’s efforts.
Any extra funds raised will be donated to the National Kidney Foundation and the American Kidney Fund, the NBC report stated.
In an update on September 10, Jon thanked everyone for helping them reach their goal.
“Holy cow….we did it! Not only did we hit $5k, but we just hit $10k. This is unbelievable. But you know what? Let’s keep going! There are so many more people who need our help, and you are making that possible,” he wrote.
Donors praised Jon for his kindness and also shared about their own experiences with transplant surgery.
“Amazingly selfless act! Truly inspiring!” one person wrote.
“My sister received a kidney 4 years ago from a wonderful, generous donor, so I want to help Ken receive his gift of life,” another commented.
Jon told NBC 5 he was looking forward to meeting Ken in person for the first time on October 12 before giving him his kidney, adding that he hoped they could share life together as friends.
“It really shows how there’s a lot of humanity still left in this world,” Ken said.
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