Search for new kidney continues after billboard campaign
A Wisconsin man is still searching for a new kidney after his plea was put up on highway billboards
A Wisconsin man is still searching for a new kidney after his plea was put up on highway billboards
A Wisconsin man is still searching for a new kidney after his plea was put up on highway billboards
A 22-year-old Wisconsin man needs a kidney donor.
Eric Warnke went to the doctor for testing right before Thanksgiving of 2021.
About a week later, his life changed.
"I got a call back saying, 'Hey your kidneys are failing,' which was kind of a shock because it was a Saturday at about 6 p.m. from my doctor's personal cellphone," Warnke said.
In total, 10 billboards were up in search of a kidney donor.
The billboards were up for 30 days. WISN 12 spotted one on I-94 in the Menomonee Valley area.
Warnke said family and friends have been tested but so far, no match.
WISN 12 asked him what it would mean to get a phone call saying they found a kidney for him.
"Honestly, I'm not quite sure I'm able to put words on it now. I kind of think about it from time to time and I would say I get a little giddy like one day it's going to come," Warnke said.
According to the National Kidney Foundation, there are currently 121,678 people waiting for lifesaving organ transplants in the U.S. Of these, 100,791 await kidney transplants.
The organization reports the average wait time is 3.6 years.
More on Eric Warnke: A Kidney For Eric | Facebook
You can also sign up to become an organ donor: Sign Up To Be An Organ Donor | organdonor.gov
