Son finds his mom a kidney — on Craigslist

[network video]

Cindy Chichick-Prettyman of Glen Dale, West Virginia, needs a new kidney.

Thanks to her son and Craigslist, she'll have one sooner than expected.

When Prettyman's son, Jeremy, learned that his mom would likely be on a transplant waiting list for up for five years, he decided to bypass the wait time and take matters into his own hands.

He posted an ad on Craigslist: "Wanted: Kidney."

His ad included a brief description of his 65-year-old mom, a woman who "never drank," "never smoked" and was searching for a kidney donor.

Jacklyn Mellott, a house-flipper in Union Port, Ohio, saw the ad that night.

"I always knew I'd be more than happy to donate a kidney if I only knew how to go about it," Mellott, 56, told GoodMorningAmerica.com. "When I saw that on there, I knew that was a sign and I had to do it."

She called Jeremy right away, telling him she wanted to help.

Meanwhile, Prettyman didn't even know her son had posted the ad. When her son told her about Mellott, she was skeptical about the stranger's generosity.

"When she first called me and said she was going to donate...disbelief. I didn't believe anybody would be doing something like that, so I didn't really take it seriously. I didn't have a whole lot of feelings, but when she called and said, 'We're a match,' it was like, my heart started pounding," Prettyman told WTRF.

Mellott's offer of a kidney was very genuine. She had done her research. And, despite the 1 in 100,000 odds, the strangers were a match.

On Monday, the hospital board will meet to determine if the women, both of whom have undergone testing, should be approved for surgery. Once surgery is approved, the transplant can occur whenever the new friends want it — likely as early as next month.

On Sunday, a spaghetti dinner was held at a local church to raise money for Prettyman's medical expenses, like anti-viral medication.

"My life is consumed now with dialysis and it's just hard," said Prettyman. "But now, I call her my 'Craigslist kidney.'"

Mellott is just as ecstatic about the match.

"I feel fantastic. You can't even imagine," said Mellott. "Words can't express it. You're never going to know this feeling unless you do it. You just need to donate, then you'll understand."