Thursday the local man who's viral post of him wearing a t-shirt asking for a kidney at a Brewers game met the woman who helped get him get a transplant. Lenny Zwieg said it was an emotional moment.
"You're nervous, you're scared, you're happy, you're in awe," said Zwieg.
Zwieg wore a shirt to a Brewer's game at the beginning of the season that said: "Father of 3 Needs a Kidney." Someone snapped a photo and the post went viral. Second-grade teacher Emily Nowak saw the picture.
"I usually just scroll right past those and I stopped and I was like, oh he's an O blood type. I know I am too," said Nowak.
She called the number on Lenny's t-shirt to see if she was a match.
"I have a dad he's got three kids and I was like if this was my dad I would want somebody to do this for him," said Nowak.
Turns out, Emily was a match just not for Lenny directly. Dr. Ajay Sahajpal, the Director of Transplant at Aurora St. Luke's, said she started a chain of transplants.
"Emily coming forward to donate even though she wasn't a match for Leonard there was another person in this country that matched her and they had a donor that match Leonard. So basically that's how it all got put together," said Sahajpal.
The Brewers successful run helped Lenny focus on the possibility of a transplant.
"They were an inspiration this year," said Zwieg.
Emily's selflessness is the home run Zwieg's family has been waiting for.
"There's no way to repay because it's giving my kids back their dad," said Becky Roberts, Zwieg's wife.
The transplant is scheduled for November 2.
For more information about organ transplants contact Aurora St. Luke's or theNational Kidney Foundation.
