Manteca man hopes T-shirt ad will lead to kidney match

MANTECA, Calif. (KTVU) - A Manteca man who is in desperate need of a kidney decided to get creative with his request for help. 

Lawrence Ballou tells KTVU his family decided to wear shirts to Disneyland that state "Be My Match, Kidney Needed, Type O, Please Call 925-337-6316."

Ballou says he had a kidney transplant in 2001 and it lasted for 17 years. However, his kidney started failing in June, so he started dialysis. 

Now, he says it's a waiting game as he hopes to find a match. "Doctors don't say how long it could take because they don't want to give false hope," he said.

Ballou's family came up with the idea of wearing the shirts at Disneyland since it was, "the busiest place we could think of."

He says the shirt is already helping get the word out. A number of Disneyland-goers have approached Ballou and offered to share photos of the shirt on social media. He says he knows others who are getting tested. 

Ballou says if anyone is thinking of seeing if they're a match they can either call his number or go to ucdonor.org and enter his birth date of October 5, 1968.

He hopes the shirts may inspire people to donate, which could help others as well. 

Meanwhile, Ballou is focusing on spending some quality bonding time with his family as he waits for a match.