Methuen Couple Uses Coffee Shop Sign To Ask For Kidney Donor

METHUEN (CBS) – One couple is taking a creative approach to a complex health struggle with a special sign outside their Methuen coffee shop.

Ruth Ellen and Wayne Bernard own Common Grounds on Ayers Village Road in Methuen. Ruth Ellen, or Kiki as she is known, suffers from polycystic kidney disease or PKD, a serious genetic disorder which causes cysts to grow in the kidneys until they can no longer function properly. And lately, hers have not.

PKD has no cure and the genetic component is strong. Kiki's mother and sister both succumbed to the disease. Now, Kiki's doctors say her kidneys have only about a year left. "It has progressed to where my kidneys are no longer functioning as they should. They're functioning at about 20 percent," Kiki said.

Her best chance of survival is a kidney transplant. The Bernards say the wait list for a donor is six to eight years for her blood type, O positive. That is why Wayne took matters into his own hands by putting a sign outside their shop.

It reads, "Kidney wanted, type O, inquire within."

"I've seen it before where people have put signs on the back of their vans or they've done billboards and I was changing the sign anyway and I thought, well, I'll just put it there," Wayne said.

Common Grounds is now offering kidney donation applications at the front counter of their shop. The application includes a questionnaire and a general medical history form.

Kiki and Wayne hope the strategy will come through. "Because other than that it's a long, long road ahead," Wayne said.

For more information or to find out how you can help, you can call the Common Ground at (978)683-4353 or contact Kiki's transplant coordinator, Brian Bergeron at (617)636-8269.