When Dan Coyne did his grocery shopping at the Jewel-Osco store in Evanston, Ill., he always checked out at Myra dela Vega’s cash register.
And when he found out dela Vega needed a kidney transplant and couldn’t find a donor, he offered to give her his, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Coyne’s kidney was a match for dela Vega, and the five-hour surgery will take place Friday morning.
Coyne, 42, an elementary school social worker, said he always chose de la Vega’s checkout line because she was so cheerful, and when he noticed one day she looked thin and tired, he inquired.
Dela Vega, 49, told Coyne she had renal failure and spent 8 hours every night hooked up to dialysis, which left her exhausted.
Since dela Vega didn’t know Coyne all that well, she was surprised when he offered her a kidney.
"It was an easy decision," Coyne said. "All I have to do is fall asleep on a table, and then the doctors take over."
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