Family hopes social media will answer plea for kidney donor
NEWTON COUNTY, Ga. - A Newton County family is rallying behind a father as he continues his desperate plea for a kidney transplant.
Marlon Pollard has been waiting for nearly four years for a match and the operation. Now his loved ones have turned to social media for help.
"It's a feeling that's hard to describe," said Pollard.
Pollard's world turned upside down in 2010 when doctors first discovered he had problems with his kidneys.
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"I had a heart attack. When they ran the dye, they found my kidneys were down to 33 percent. Before that, there was no indication that they were going down," he added.
By 2013, the father of two needed a transplant. During the course of the wait, he retired from the Newton County Sheriff's Office out of fear he couldn't perform at his best on the force. His teen sons, Adam and Andrew, feel the change. They try to help out more around the house to make things easier for their father. They told FOX 5's Marissa Mitchell they've asked friends to get tested to see if they could be a match. Amanda Pollard, Marlon Pollard's wife and mother of the boys, says a few friends and relatives were a match, but due to their own medical issues none of them were able to donate a kidney.
"Sometimes, we hear about them and sometimes we don't," Amanda Pollard said. "Everyday you want that phone call and think it's that phone call. It never comes."
Until then, the Pollards are using social media to get the word out. They've created accounts on social media, including Facebook and Twitter. But most of all, they're leaning on their faith and the power of family as they await an organ.
Pollard has an "O" blood type.
GR Health (706) 723- 0150
GoFund Me - Marlon's Kidney Fund: https://www.gofundme.com/lx8ebs
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Marlons-Kidney-Fund-1692185501064797/