South Carolina woman donates kidney to complete stranger

WEST ASHLEY, S. C. -- A South Carolina man who was in desperate need of a kidney has met his match in a complete stranger.

Six months ago, Lashonda Pugh chalked the plea for a new kidney for her son, Daniel Jones, on the back window of her car.

"God came to me and was like, you have to put the message out there," Pugh told WCIV.

Pugh's prayers were answered by a stranger, Starr Dandy.

"I just, I can't really explain it, it just completely moved me and I just, I took a picture of it and I went in Walmart and I was shopping," said Dandy. "And all I could picture was, 'there is someone in here who has this weight on their shoulders.'"

"It's a lot. Knowing that I have her organ in my body, we're family now," said Jones, 24. "She's not just a stranger anymore, she's my aunt."

"Her mom, her dad, her husband, her kids, all her other family we are family now. I don't care who don't like it, we are family," Pugh said.

Even though the hospital kept organ donor and recipient information completely confidential, both Jones' and Dandy's families were in the waiting room and struck up a conversation.

Dandy's recovery will take about six weeks. Jones is expected to go home Saturday.