Spreading stickers for a solution: Woman using decals to find a kidney donor

KMBC 9 News Anchor

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. —

What do you do when you’re in need? Ask for what you need.

For Amanda Schmidt of Overland Park, Kansas, that request is being made creatively.

“I was playing around with an AI website, and had it make me a decal, and it just popped out. It’s really cute…So I had them made, and just slapped on the back of my car.”

And more than 70 other cars after that. The decals carry Schmidt’s ask: “I need a Kidney.”

Schmidt is looking for a living donor, and one with certain blood types: O+ or O-.

She has PKD, or Polycystic Kidney Disease. It’s a genetic condition that causes cysts to grow on her kidneys that will, over time, lead to kidney failure.

Schmidt says each of her kidneys weighs around eight pounds, the same as a full gallon jug. They’re compressing her organs and her lungs, and they’ll need to be removed soon. That removal is complicated by the need for a living donor with a specific blood type.

Schmidt holds hope that these decals will help get the word out and maybe connect her to the person who will save her life.

“My hope has been renewed,” she said.

You can learn more about Amanda, and find out how to get a sticker of your own here.