Following Facebook Plea, Man Receives Much-Needed Kidney From Stranger

In a story that is simultaneously inspirational, miraculous and moving, David Ensley of Stallings, North Carolina, has been granted a new lease on life. Following a plea that was communicated via Facebook, a stranger decided to donate her kidney to David, who suffers from polycystic kidney disease (PKD).

According to the Mayo Clinic, PKD is an inherited disorder in which clusters of noncancerous cysts emerge inside of the kidneys. The cysts, which vary in size, can develop in other areas of the body as well, causing serious complications.

David's story, in recent years, has been one plagued with heath impediments. In 2009, his kidney failed him. Faced with the prospect of eventual death if he didn't find a replacement, his family set out to assist him in the difficult task of locating a donor. Unfortunately, his own siblings didn't meet the criteria. Thus, one of his sisters took to Facebook in hopes of finding a viable match. WBTV.com has more:

Even though she knew it was a longshot, in March one of those sisters, Jennifer Scoggins, decided to set up a Facebook page to look for a donor.

"A girlfriend of mine called and said she had a co-worker that had actually found her match on Facebook," Jennifer said.  "I thought, 'what do we have to lose?'  I mean, at [that] point, as sick as he was, why not?"

David claims that he was told the chances of finding the perfect match were 20 million to one -- a fairly hopeless statement of the odds. But, after Jennifer created the page, an old friend named Chuck Cunningham saw it and told his wife, Amy, about the situation.

Chuck explains that his wife was instantly moved by David's need. According to WBTV.com she said:

"I said, 'oh I really hope somebody donates a kidney for them, that's really a shame.' And I didn't think anything else about it after that."

But, the situation stayed with Amy; she couldn't keep her mind off of it. Before long, she found herself getting tested to see if she was a match for Ensley. After a long process, she was given startling news: She was such a perfect match that doctors said it was as though she were David's sibling. WHPTV.com reports that she wasn't surprised by the revelation:

Amy says it's not a coincidence; this is something she was meant to do.

"This is completely God," she said.

"We feel like God has had His hand on this from the beginning," Jennifer said. "Amy said she was always convinced in her heart she would be a match -- and she is."

Having lost her father five years ago, Amy was intent on helping save David's life so that his two daughters (16 and 20-years-old) wouldn't have to go through the pain of losing their dad.

Following surgery last week, both Amy and David are doing well. David says that Amy "is a special person" who did what many others wouldn't have. Both families hope that their story will inspire others to become organ donors.