Mississippi cashier donates kidney to regular customer's wife

Thursday, January 3, 2019
Mississippi cashier donates kidney to regular customer's wife
Sade Baderinwa reports on the cashier who donated her kidney to a customer's wife.

PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- Eddie Drummond, of Mobile, Alabama, stops at Wayne Lee's Grocery and Market in Pascagoula, Mississippi, for breakfast every day before work at Ingalls Shipbuilding.

He always greets employees with a smile, WLOX reports. But one day, cashier Leilani Aguirre noticed something was wrong.

Donnie Drummond, Eddie's wife of 32 years, was diagnosed with kidney failure in 2015 after having trouble breathing.

"Doctor said I got there just in time, because I had a lot of fluid on my heart," Donnie said. "I could have died in my sleep."

Eddie told Leilani his wife wasn't doing well on dialysis and needed a kidney transplant as soon as possible. So Leilani said she'd give Donnie hers.

When they surprised his wife with the news, Donnie burst into tears.

"She said, 'Is Eddie here?' I said, 'Who?' She said, 'Eddie.' I said, 'Baby, what do you want with my husband?'" she said.

Turns out Donnie and Leilani are a perfect match, with O-positive blood.

"I asked for a miracle blessing," Donnie said. "He sent it to me because he's not done with me on this earth."

Leilani said she decided to donate her kidney because if the situation were reversed, she'd want someone to do the same for her.

"What if it happens to me and I need a stranger to come help me?" she said.

"You will always be a part of us because you put an extension of my wife's life," Eddie said. "I can't thank you enough."

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