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NJ Man To Donate Kidney To Woman He Found Through Craigslist Ad

BERLIN, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A New Jersey man is preparing to donate a kidney to a woman he only learned about after coming across a classified ad mistakenly posted to the wrong section of Craigslist.

Glenn Calderbank's wife died four years ago of kidney failure. He said he stumbled across the ad seeking a donor while scanning a section of the site for construction supplies.

Calderbank told NJ.com he responded to the ad and is now preparing for a Dec. 1 surgery.

"It was like the screen was talking to me,'' Calderbank said. "I knew I was going to be a match for her. I thought about it, then emailed them and shared my story.''

The ad came from Nina Saria and her husband. Saria suffers from kidney failure because of an autoimmune disease.

The Egg Harbor City couple said offers from friends and relatives didn't pan out because their organs weren't compatible or they backed out.

After being on the donor list for more than a year, Saria said her husband came up with the idea for the Craigslist ad.

"The doctors think I'll be better once the transplant is done,'' she said. "It should last a long time, they think, because I'm young and active and healthy other than my kidney now. So, I really think (Glenn) can save me, and I can get my life back."

Calderbank's late wife waited on the donor list for two years before receiving a kidney and pancreas from a cadaver, but her body rejected the organs. He said she died in 2011 while on dialysis.

"I'm scared to death,'' he said of the surgery. "I've never had any medical problems and I am, on purpose, going to have my body opened up and have a part taken out. But I'm doing it because I want to help."

Calderbank said he wants to save Saria's life because "in this rare instance" he's the only one who can do it.

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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