Queens couple seeking kidney donor through mobile billboard
GLENDALE, Queens (WABC) -- Mike and Sandy Bilski's love has stood the test of time for nearly 24 years, raising four children and building a beautiful life together in Glendale, Queens. Now, everything is hanging in the balance after a recent diagnosis.
"My whole life has been turned upside it's hard you know when you're so used to being active," explained Sandy. "I have some good days but most of the days I'm just exhausted."
Hypertension caused Sandy's kidneys to fail almost two years ago. She has since been relying on dialysis three times a week and is the waitlist for a kidney transplant, but she admits she's had her weak moments.
"I cried a lot in the beginning...I had pity on myself and then I was mad at myself," she recalled.
However her husband Mike is now taking matters into his own hands.
"We were searching on the web and we seen a guy had a T-shirt in Florida and he got a kidney through that," Mike noted.
Suddenly inspired, Mike more than ran with idea, he put his plea for a kidney on wheels...a mobile billboard of sorts in hopes of finding a kidney match.
"My wife is the love of my life and I can't live without her. I need her and I'm going to do anything possible by the power of God and the power of prayer," Mike said with tears welling in his eyes.
"What drove me was love and I can't lose my wife she's everything to me," he continued.
Driving the eye-catching car around NYC with the message "Wife Needs A Kidney" across the back window the couple has since been flooded with phone calls. They say they are now more hopeful than ever their love story will have a happy ending.
"You really get to see now that it's happening how people really are good...there's so much bad going on that something like this you start seeing the good hearted people," Sandy smiled.
Sandy needs a kidney donor with B+ or O blood type but people can still donate a kidney in Sandy's name even if they are not a match through the SWAP program, which would help bump Sandy on the waitlist.
"I put up fliers in the local neighborhood, I created a Facebook page "wife needs a kidney", I'm just doing whatever is possible out there," Mike added.
CLICK HERE to visit the Bilskis' Facebook page.
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