Many people bring homemade signs to sporting events in hopes of being on national television, Marcus Edwards, though, had another idea in mind.
The father of four from Jeffersonville brought his own sign into Soldier Field with the message 'I Need a Kidney' along with his blood type and phone number.
Ever since receiving the devastating diagnosis back in June, Edwards has been desperately looking for a donor for a kidney transplant. He is currently on dialysis five days a week, which his wife helps facilitate in addition to her own work schedule. While finding a donor can be difficult, a kidney transplant is also very expensive and averaging around $250,000.
Edwards brought the sign into Soldier Field hoping to get his message out to anyone that could help. A fellow fan, Jessica Jenkins, saw Edwards trying to get the attention of the tv cameras, so she decided to do her part as well. Jenkins snapped a photo of Edwards with his sign and shared it on social media with his story,
The post quickly went viral with many people calling Edwards to lend a hand and signing up to be on the donor list. His blood type is O positive, but he is urging everyone to call and get tested regardless because you never know who you will be able to help.
Jenkins shared a recent update on Facebook saying, ""Your responses have been amazing! I told you we could do this! THANK you! Marcus has responded to over 1,000 text messages and has hundreds of missed calls that he's trying to return as he can," Jenkins wrote. "His voicemail is currently full and working on it! Several people have called in to inquire and started the testing process. They are reviewing his case on TUESDAY!! Yes, THIS upcoming one!"
To help, contact the Living Donor Program at 859-323-2467, and tell the transplant coordinator you're calling on behalf of Marcus Edwards of Jeffersonville, Indiana. OR you can donate to his GoFundMe page here. The money will go to the costs of maintaining dialysis, medications, kidney transplant when the time comes, and anti-rejection medication.