The Windham man who plans to donate a kidney to a 24-year-old South Portland mother doesn’t have to worry any longer about taking time off work without pay. Josh Dall-Leighton’s Go Fund Me effort – through which he hoped to raise about $6,000 – was up to nearly $42,000 by early Thursday morning, and contributions continued to come in.

Local, national and international media outlets, including Fox News and Today.com, picked up the story following a recent Portland Press Herald article and video about Dall-Leighton’s gift to a complete stranger.

“It’s crazy,” says his wife, Ashley. “Someone donated $2,000. And then someone else donated $15,000. And at that point my jaw pretty much hit the floor.”

Dall-Leighton, a 30-year-old corrections officer who works in Alfred, happened to spot a sign on Christine Royle’s car last fall: “Looking for someone to donate me their kidney. Must have type O blood.”

Royles’ kidneys were failing because of an autoimmune disease and the single mother of a 2-year-old was desperate to find a donor. Dall-Leighton, who says he didn’t hesitate to contact the Maine Transplant Program when he saw Royles’ sign, underwent extensive testing this winter and found out last month that he is a match.

“I think it was the fact that I have three kids of my own, and that really resonated with me,” said Dall-Leighton. “If (my wife) needed a kidney and I couldn’t provide for her, I would hope that somebody else would kind of step up and help her out.” The Dall-Leightons’ twins, Mason and Christopher, are 10 months old. Their brother, Hayden, is 5.

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The transplant surgery is tentatively scheduled for May 19, pending the results of one last test next week.

Ashley Dall-Leighton said she and her husband are overwhelmed by the generous donations. They’re also thrilled that the need for kidney donors is in the spotlight.

“I think this gives a lot of hope to others who need a transplant,” she said.

There are an estimated 100,000 people in the United States on the waiting list for a transplant, according to the National Kidney Foundation. Fewer than 17,000 receive one each year with about one-third coming from living donors.

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