Mother makes desperate plea for a kidney donor to help save her sick daughter with a note on her CAR... and so far 25 people have offered to be tested

  • Jenna Franks, 29, was diagnosed with kidney disease at 15
  • She began dialysis at 18 and now uses it daily
  • Her family have searched for years for a Type O donor match
  • Recently they resorted to painting a sign on the family SUV
  • The message quickly went viral and they have been inundated with offers 

By Dailymail.com Reporter

Published: 12:28 EST, 1 October 2015 | Updated: 16:29 EST, 1 October 2015

It was another desperate plea from a mother who has searched for three years to find a kidney donor for her sick daughter.

But just a simple sign on the back of a car may now yield a solution for a Pasadena, California family after the message was sent viral by supporters.

The family of 29-year-old Jenna Franks - was just 15 when she was diagnosed with kidney failure and 18 when she began dialysis - painted a sign on the back of their SUV saying 'Daughter needs kidney type O', along with an email address, not knowing what would come of it.

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Desperate plea: The family of 29-year-old Jenna Franks - was 15 when she was diagnosed with kidney failure and 18 when she began dialysis - painted a sign saying: 'Daughter needs kidney type O'

Desperate plea: The family of 29-year-old Jenna Franks - was 15 when she was diagnosed with kidney failure and 18 when she began dialysis - painted a sign saying: 'Daughter needs kidney type O'

Mom Karol Franks says she will resort to any means to find her daughter a kidney donors after years of trying. No one in the Franks is compatible to donate to Jenna 

Mom Karol Franks says she will resort to any means to find her daughter a kidney donors after years of trying. No one in the Franks is compatible to donate to Jenna 

Jenna Franks, pictured with her mom Karol, has been impaired most of her life by her kidney disease  

Jenna Franks, pictured with her mom Karol, has been impaired most of her life by her kidney disease  

The Franks have tried t-shirts, flyers, YouTube videos and Craigslist ads in the past to find a donor 

The Franks have tried t-shirts, flyers, YouTube videos and Craigslist ads in the past to find a donor 

The Franks family had tried a lot of other different alternative avenues in the past to try and encourage people to come forward and be tested to see if they were an eligible donor.

They had done a YouTube video, posted flyers around town and put ads on Craigslist.

The sign on the car was just another hopeful attempt. 

A Pasadena local noticed the car and snapped a photo, posting it to Twitter with the far-from-subtle message: 'This literally needs to go viral!'

And that is exactly what happened.

'I posted the picture and it got like 8,000 retweets!' Tatum Bateman, who posted the photo, told NBC Los Angeles.

Sick: Jenna Franks was just 15 when she was diagnosed with kidney failure and 18 when she began dialysis

Sick: Jenna Franks was just 15 when she was diagnosed with kidney failure and 18 when she began dialysis

Jenna is now 29 and uses dialysis daily. She is desperately looking for a kidney donor 

Jenna is now 29 and uses dialysis daily. She is desperately looking for a kidney donor 

As of this week, 25 people have stepped forward willing to be tested to see if they are a worthy donor.

There is no way of knowing whether the eligibility of the volunteers until the test results are returned. 

For now the family are just grateful for the progress that has been made after trying for so long. 

'It just feels like it's meant to be,' Jenna's mother, Karol Franks, told NBC. 

'There is something really powerful here.'

Are You My Type?: Jenna is looking for a person with the blood type O that might qualify as a donor 

Are You My Type?: Jenna is looking for a person with the blood type O that might qualify as a donor 

Still searching: As of Wednesday, the Southern California woman has not found a match

Still searching: As of Wednesday, the Southern California woman has not found a match

Karol Franks is not an eligible donor for her daughter and has spent years trying to find someone who is 

Karol Franks is not an eligible donor for her daughter and has spent years trying to find someone who is 


No one in the family can donate their kidney to Jenna, including her mother.

Mrs Franks told CBS Los Angeles that she is committed to continuing the search until they find a match, and will try to keep thinking of ways to do it until then.

'It is hard not to give her the one thing I know she needs,' she told the network.

'As a mother you would give your right arm if it would save them. 

'So this is what I can do,' she said.

 

 

 

 

 

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