Unbelievable: This woman donated her kidney to a stranger after seeing a Facebook post

Just days before Christmas, a Facebook page Wate 6 On Your Side talked to Corrections Officer Michael Norton with the Knox County Sheriff’s Department and asked him what he wanted for Christmas. All he wanted for the holidays was a new kidney.

Little did he know that a young mother was about to make his wish come true.

Maryanna Ridenour read about Officer Norton’s story on the Facebook page and decided to see if she was a match. So, she called the transplant center to start the process.

After University of Tennessee’s transplant centre determined that Ridenour was physically and mentally ready to handle donating a kidney and discovered that she and the hard working officer were a perfect match, the date for surgery was set as February 24.

When Officer Norton was told about her wish of donating her kidney to him, he couldn’t believe it at first. “I thought it can’t be true, not this fast.”

On the other hand, Ridenour said that she wasn’t nervous about donating. “I had no fear,” she said. “I felt like I was supposed to do this.”
When asked the reason behind her deciding to give him such an enormous gift, she replied that she was bowled over by his attitude. “He was still working and trying to be active and positive,” she said.

Despite his kidneys only functioning at 13 percent, Norton was always seen with big smile on his face.

And, after the surgery, he considers her his guardian angel.

Watch the story unfold here.