PORTLAND, Maine — On Sunday, two people at the center of a kidney donation controversy spent the morning together at a breakfast fundraiser to raise money for an organ donor.
Last week the donation looked like it was in jeopardy because of concerns about money being raised for the donor.
Christine Royles, 24, needs a kidney transplant, so she wrote a plea for help on the back of her car window. Josh Dall-Leighton responded to the plea and turned out to be a perfect match.
Everything appeared to be moving forward until the hospital temporarily put the transplant on hold. A GoFundMe account created for Dall-Leighton by someone else raised legal concerns. Everyone involved says the funds are intended to help Dall-Leighton’s family while he is out of work recovering from surgery.
Federal law makes it illegal to profit off an organ donation. Hospital officials from Maine Medical Center in Portland say the average out-of-pocket expense for an organ donor, including lost wages, is around $6,000. The GoFundMe campaign has raised nearly $50,000.
Hospital officials said the situation is considered uncharted territory and they want to make sure no laws are being broken with the fundraising campaign. Dall-Leighton said he’s not in it for the money, but to save a life.
“When people have their hand out and you can give them a helping hand, you should do it,” said Dall-Leighton.
Christine Royles said, “He decided to donate before all the donations started pouring in.”
On Friday, Maine Medical Center announced testing needed to move forward with the procedure is back on. Hospital officials said legal advice regarding the transplant is expected this week.