Pittsburgh man's decision to donate kidney helps save 6 lives

PITTSBURGH — Two strangers are forever linked after a decision to donate a kidney ended up saving six lives.

Leanne Ermert was close to being on daily dialysis in December as polycystic kidney disease left her in need of a new kidney.

Channel 11 News has followed Ermert’s story, which caught the attention of Willie Rhodes.

“I thought about it for a little bit and I just said, ‘What the heck, I've done nothing special in my life. I've got no kids. Maybe this is why God's been waking me up in the mornings,’” Rhodes said.

He decided to reach out to Ermert, and the two immediately bonded.

“She is from South Park, so hey, it's one Pittsburgher helping out another,” Rhodes said.

But Rhodes’ kidney was a match for more than just Ermert.

“My kidney went to a man in Wisconsin, 40 years old, who they said had an 84 percent chance of not getting a match,” he said.

Rhodes’ donation set off a six-person chain of kidney donations that ended with one from California going to Ermert. Confidentiality rules prevent them from knowing who the other people are, but they do know that so far everyone is healthy and healing -- including Ermert.

“I got what I wanted when I went to go see her on Friday. She was, there was so much light in her face,” Rhodes said.

Cox Media Group