ORLANDO, Fla. – A Seminole County sheriff's deputy has a new kidney, thanks to a mismatched donor putting into motion a domino effect of matches across the country.
News 6 first introduced Deputy Blayne Badura last May, when his name was added to a national registry by Florida Hospital to get a new kidney.
"I'm scared I won't be able to work anymore and provide for my family," he said.
Badura's rare B-negative blood type made it all the more difficult to find a match.
Florida Hospital told News 6 that Oviedo police Officer Bobby Draughon wanted to donate one of his kidneys to Badura, but his blood type didn't match.
"But Draughon’s decision to become a donor triggered a rare, eight-person, cross-country kidney exchange," the hospital said in a news release issued late Monday.
The exchange resulted in Badura finding a match.
The hospital said it also resulted in Leslie Gau of Winter Springs finding a match for her kidney transplant.
Her daughter Lauren donated one of her kidneys to someone else.
On Tuesday, Gau, Badura and Draughon will gather at Florida Hospital to share their stories and discuss how together, they got results that saved lives.