A fundraising effort for a man who’s donating one of his kidneys to a complete stranger has caused a major snag for the woman who needs it. 
 
 Josh Dall-Leighton, 30, a father of three young children, offered to give a kidney to Christine Royles, 24, a single mother of a 2-year-old boy, after seeing a sign on her car that said she needed one. Royles, stunned by the man’s generosity, then began organizing fundraisers such as a pancake breakfast to help pay his bills while he takes time off from his job as a corrections officer. Someone else established an online fund for Dall-Leighton, which so far has raised nearly $48,000 from roughly 750 donors. 
 
 That campaign, on GoFundMe.com, is now causing a major headache. 
 
 Dall-Leighton and his wife, Ashley, say Maine Medical Center told them Wednesday that it has concerns about the amount of money raised to help the Windham couple. The transplant surgery is now on hold, the Dall-Leightons say. 
 
 They immediately called Royles with that information. 
 
 “I don’t know what to feel,” said Royles, who lives in South Portland. “I think I’m just kind of in shock.” 
 
 Maine Med spokeswoman Sue Pierter said the hospital would not comment on the case Wednesday. “We are working through the donor process as we do with all patients of the Maine Transplant Program,” she said. 
 
 The hospital’s hesitancy may have to do with ethical guidelines concerning donations. It is illegal to sell organs, and even the appearance that someone is profiting from a donation would be problematic for a health care institution. 
 
 There have been cases in which people have tried to profit from selling organs, and hospitals are especially wary when the donor is not a relative, said Dr. Arthur Caplan, a professor of bioethics at New York University School of Medicine. 
 
 “As a hospital, you can’t be associated in any way with anything that could be construed as the sale of a kidney,” Caplan said. 
 
 GENEROUS DONATIONS ADD COMPLICATIONS 
 
 Royles’ kidneys are failing because of an autoimmune disease. When she was diagnosed with the condition at age 22, she joined a list of more than 100,000 people in the United States who are awaiting kidneys from donors. Each year fewer than 17,000 receive one, and about one-third come from living donors. 
 
 Royles didn’t like those odds, so she took an unusual approach to finding her own donor – putting a message on the rear windshield of her car advertising her need for a kidney. 
 
 Dall-Leighton and his wife saw the car while driving near the Maine Mall in South Portland in November, and they immediately texted her. After going through a battery of tests, he learned last month that he is a strong potential match. A tentative date for the transplant surgery had been set for May 19. Royles and others then started trying to raise money to help the family. 
 
 A friend of the Dall-Leightons set up the GoFundMe site, hoping to raise $6,000 to cover his unpaid time off while he recovers from the surgery. That fund ballooned after the Portland Press Herald published a story and video about their situation, which was in turn picked up by local, national and international media. 
 
 “I didn’t raise any money,” Dall-Leighton said. “People’s generosity far exceeded … never in our wildest dreams did we imagine it would reach this.” 
 
 KIDNEY DONOR FEELS UNFAIRLY ATTACKED 
 
 Dall-Leighton was scheduled for a final compatibility test Wednesday, but instead the couple say they were told that the transplant program was concerned about the amount of money that was being raised. They said the program told them that they should donate the money to other organizations, and suggested that all the attention he’s been getting may make him feel like he wouldn’t be able to back out of the donation. 
 
 Dall-Leighton said he and his wife were stunned by what they heard. 
 
 “It kind of seemed like the whole facility was against Ashley and I,” he said. “I felt attacked, like I had done something wrong.” 
 
 His wife said her husband’s offer of a kidney has nothing to do with money – he just wants to save a life. 
 
 She said the couple has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of generosity, and moved by the positive comments people left after making donations on GoFundMe. 
 
 “Not one comment has said, ‘I’m going to give you $500 to buy your kidney for Christine,’ ” she said. “All the comments are, ‘God bless you – you’ve warmed my heart.’ ” 
 
 The Dall-Leightons said the transplant program told them they’d be back in touch with him Friday. Royles does have a 59-year-old uncle in Syracuse who’s a potential match, but Dall-Leighton is considered to be a much stronger candidate. 
 
 In the meantime, the couple is worried about what will happen to Royles. 
 
 “It’s really upsetting,” Ashley said. “This is Christine’s life.” 
 
 Staff Writer Joe Lawlor contributed to this report. 
 
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 This iframe contains the logic required to handle Ajax powered Gravity Forms. ||||| Josh gives the gift of life 
 
 A few months ago Josh was out with his family when he saw a suv with writing on it pleading for people to come forward to get tested to be a kindey donor. The woman in need; a 23 year mom who was diagnosed with stage IV kidney failure in December 2013. Josh knew right then and there that he needed to call. He didn't know if he was going to be a match or not but he felt it was the right thing to do. March 2015 that mom (Christine) had her prayers answered and knows there is hope for her future. Josh is a match! He is giving the gift of life through being a living donor. He has a long road ahead with surgery and recovery. He is going to be out of work for several weeks and has a family to care for. He has his wife and 3 sons. Two of his sons are twins that were born at 29 weeks in 2014. They need a lot of care and have special needs. All this takes time and money. Josh is an employee for the state of Maine and works many hours to support his family. Let's show Josh how much support he has and how many people believe him as he gives the greatest gift of all this April; LIFE! 
 
 893 TOTAL 
 
 SHARES Share Tweet Donate COPY, PASTE & SHARE: http://www.gofundme.com/ped87w 
 
 What is GoFundMe? ||||| A South Portland woman at the center of a controversy involving a kidney donation says doctors have told her she is too sick for a transplant. 
 
 Video: Woman awaiting kidney donation too sick for transplant 
 
 Christine Royles posted on her Facebook page that her white blood count is too low and she has to stop working and can't be in public without a mask. 
 
 Maine Med could make transplant decision Friday 
 
 "This saddens me very much as it seems like it's one thing after another and I truly won't be completely healthy until I have working kidneys and honestly I don't want to entertain any questions for the moment. It is what it is, and I see transplant on April 29 to reevaluate everything," Royles posted. 
 
 Last year, WMTW first reported that, Royles, in search of a donor, put a message on her car. In December, Josh Dall-Leighton, of Windham, saw the billboard on her car and was tested. He was a match and the surgery was scheduled for May. 
 
 Related: 'Call or text': Young mom solicits kidney via car 
 
 Show Transcript Hide Transcript TONIGHT, WE HAVE A SPECIAL REPORT. WE INTRODUCE TO TO A YOUNG MOTHER WHO NEEDS A KIDNEY. HER STORY IS ONE YOU MAY HAVE HEARD BEFORE, BUT THE WAY SHE IS GOING ABOUT IT WILL CERTAINLY CATCH YOUR ATTENTION. DAVID CHARNS INTRODUCES US TO THIS 23-YEAR-OLD WHO IS DRIVING FOR DONATIONS. WHEN 23-YEAR-OLD CHRISTINE ROYLES PASSES YOU ON THE ROAD, THERE IS SOMETHING THAT MAY CATCH YOUR EYE. I AM NOT GOING TO PUSH ANYONE, BUT I FIGURED I WOULD PUT IT ON MY CAR AND MAYBE SOMEONE WILL SEE IT AND WANT TO DONATE. THE SIGN SAYS IT ALL. SHE NEEDS A KIDNEY, ONE WITH TYPE O BLOOD. IT IS SOMETHING SHE HAS BEEN STRUGGLING WITH FOR A YEAR. I REMEMBER ASKING DOCTORS IF I WAS WANT TO DIE, AND THEY DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO SAY. MY KIDNEYS WERE FAILING TO YEARS AGO AND I DID NOT KNOW. SHE WAS SUFFERING FROM A GIVEN US TO LIDA'S -- A DISEASE THAT BLOCKS BLOOD FLOW TO HER KIDNEYS. SHE IS ON DIALYSIS, GOING THROUGH TWO BACKS OF THIS SUGARY SUBSTANCE WHILE SHE SLEEPS. IT ALSO MEANS 12 MEDICATIONS A DAY AND FLUIDS SHE PUTS INSIDE HER BELLY. I HAVE FLUID IN DURING THE DAY, SO THAT IS WHY IT LOOKS LIKE I AM PREGNANT AND I AM NOT. SHE'LL ONLY NEEDS ONE FUNCTIONING KIDNEY TO GET HER LIFE BACK TO NORMAL. PEOPLE WAITING FOR A KIDNEY CAN WAIT FOR YEARS. THERE ARE ABOUT 50 TRANSPLANTS PERFORMED EACH YEAR IN MAINE, WITH MORE PEOPLE ADDED TO THE LIST EVERY WEEK. PEOPLE WHO ARE ON DIALYSIS, THEY HAVE A DIFFICULT SITUATION. THEY WILL LOOK FOR WAYS TO GET OUT OF THAT SITUATION. DR. JOHN BELLA HAD THE TRANSPLANT PROGRAM AT MAINE MED, THE ONLY TRANSPLANT CENTER. THEY ABSOLUTELY SAVE LIFE. BELLA SAYS FINDING A MATCH CAN BE DIFFICULT. DONORS MUST BE HEALTHY, AND THEIR BLOOD TYPE AND OTHER FACTORS MUST MATCH. ABOUT HALFTIME, DONORS ARE RELATIVES. THEY MAY NOT BE RELATED, BUT THEY COULD BE BIOLOGICALLY UNRELATED. DONORS MUST COME FORWARD THEMSELVES OR BE REGISTERED. WE ARE GRATEFUL WHEN A DONOR APPROACHES US AND VOLUNTEERS TO PART COMPANY WITH A KIDNEY. THE MORE ORGAN DONORS OUT THERE, THE LESS PEOPLE WILL HAVE TO WAIT FOR KIDNEYS ON THE LIST. AS FOR CHRISTINA ROYLES, YOU MAY SEE HER DRIVING AROUND, HOPING A MATCH COMES FORWARD. THE QUICKER I GET A KIDNEY, THE QUICKER I CAN MOVE ON AS A 23-YEAR-OLD. SHE SAYS A FEW PEOPLE HAVE CONTACTED HER REGARDING HER AT, BUT NO MATCHES. SHE DOES NOT KNOW IF A POTENTIAL DONOR HAS CONTACTED THE TRANSPLANT CENTER ON HER BEHALF. 
 
 Earlier this week Maine Medical Center put the transplant on hold because of concerns about a GoFundMe page created by a friend of Dall-Leighton to raise money to help him and his family while he was out of work. 
 
 The fundraising goal was $6,000, but the page raised nearly $50,000, prompting worry that it could be perceived that Dall-Leighton was being paid to donate. 
 
 Related: Hospital puts kidney donation on hold over GoFundMe effort 
 
 Show Transcript Hide Transcript CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY BILL WILL LIKE IT MAKE IT TO THE FLOOR OF THE HOUSE AND A VOTE SOMETIME IN MAY. AN UPDATE ON A STORY WE'VE COVERED FOR SEVERAL MONTHS NOW. A WINDHAM MAN'S ACT TO SAVE A STRANGER'S LIFE MAY NOT HAPPEN ALL BECAUSE OF DONATIONS TO A GOFUNDME ACCOUNT. WMTW NEWS 8'S KYLE JONES SPOKE WITH JOSH DALL-LEIGHTON AND CHRISTINE ROYLES TODAY ABOUT WHAT IT WOULD MEAN IF THE HOSPITAL CANCELS THE TRANSPLANT. KYLE: JUST A WEEK AGO, CHRISTINE RO YLES HAD AN ANSWER TO HER PLEA FOR A KIDNEY. BUT IT MAY HAVE TO WAIT. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO THINK. I AM KIND OF IN SHOCK. KYLE: JOSH DALL LEIGHTON VOLUNTEERED TO DONATE HIS. $40,000 POURED INTO HIS GO FIND ME ACCOUNT, AND THAT MAY BE A PROBLEM FOR MAINE MEDICAL CENTER. HE SAID THE TRANSPLANT TEAM TOLD HIM FEDERAL LAW PROHIBITS PAYMENT FOR TRANSPLANTS. BUT HE SAYS THE DONATIONS ARE FROM STRANGERS, NOT MONEY FROM CHRISTINE, AND HE PLANS TO GIVE THE KIDNEY BEFORE FRIENDS SET UP THE ACCOUNT WHILE HE WAS OUT OF WORK. THEY SAY THE SITUATION IS UNFORTUNATE. THIS IS NOT ABOUT MONEY FOR MY WIFE AND I. IT IS ABOUT HELPING ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL. WOULD YOU HAVE RESERVATIONS ON GIVING THE MONEY BACK IF YOU NEEDED TO? NO. KYLE: BUT HE SAID THE HOSPITAL SAID TO EITHER CANCEL THE OPERATION OR ALLOW THEM TO MANAGE DONATION. THEY WOULD CALCULATE THAT OUT AND WE COULD DONATE THE REST OF THE MONEY TO THEM. KYLE: JOSH SAYS THE TEAM WILL GET BACK INTO HIM ON FRIDAY, LEAVING CHRISTINE IN THE DARK. I HAVE TO PUT MY HEALTH ON HOLD AND WAIT UNTIL THEY FIGURE OUT WHAT IS GOING ON. KYLE: SHE SAYS THE MONEY DONATED TO HER WOULD HELP WITH CURRENT AND FUTURE MEDICAL BILLS. EVEN YEARS AFTER THE TRANSPLANT. APPARENTLY THAT IS ALSO A PROBLEM. THEY SAID I MAYBE SHOULD NOT BE GETTING DONATIONS THAT I HAVE, THE BIG ONES. KYLE: SHE HAS A MEETING WITH THE TRANSPLANT TEAM TOMORROW AND IS HOPING FOR GOOD NEWS. 
 
 The hospital held a news conference on Thursday to discuss the decision-making process. 
 
 "There's a potential ethical issue in that the amount of money that has been generated is outside the norm of our experience for this type of situation," Dr. John P. Vella, director of the Maine Transplant Program, said. 
 
 A federal law was written 31 years ago against receiving money for transplants. Maine Medical Center is discussing the situation with attorneys. 
 
 "It's very clear that the donor made a decision to offer his kidney altruistically before there was any potential for a large amount of money to come his way," Vella said. 
 
 Related: Young father giving gift of life 
 
 Show Transcript Hide Transcript WE WILL TALK MORE IN MY TOTAL LOOK AT THE FORECAST IN JUST A FEW MINUTES. TRACY: WE FIRST BROUGHT YOU THE STORY OF CHRISTINE ROYLES IN NOVEMBER, WHEN THE YOUNG MOTHER WAS LOOKING FOR A KIDNEY DONOR USING THE BACK WINDOW OF HER CAR AS A MOBILE BILLBOARD FOR HER SEARCH. TODAY, HER QUEST IS OVER. A YOUNG FATHER CAME ACROSS HER AD AND IS VOLUNTEERING TO GIVE HER THE GIFT OF LIFE. WMTW NEWS 8'S KYLE JONES MET WITH HIM TODAY AND FOUND OUT WHY HE DECIDED TO STEP FORWARD. KYLE, WHAT IS BEHIND THIS BIG DECISION? KYLE: JOSH DALL LEIGHTON GAVE HIS KIDNEY TO CHRISTINE BECAUSE HE SAYS IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. WHILE DONATING A KIDNEY IS NOT EASY, HE SAYS IT IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE HE WANTS TO SET AN EXAMPLE FOR HIS KIDS ABOUT HUMAN KINDNESS. WHEN WE MET CHRISTINE ROYLES IN NOVEMBER, SHE WAS RIDING AROUND TOWN WITH THIS MESSAGE ON THE BACK OF HER CAR, ASKING FOR A KIDNEY, HOPING IT RESONATED WITH SOMEONE. AND IT DID. AND LOOKED AT MY WIFE AND I SAID, TEXT HER. I NEED TO TRY. KYLE: JOSH IS A MATCH, AND THE FATHER WILL GIVE A KIDNEY TO A WOMAN HE DID NOT KNOW BEFORE NOW. IT WAS JUST A GUT REACTION. I KNEW IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. I THINK HAVING CHILDREN RESONATED WITH ME. JIM: JOSH SAYS HE HAS ALWAYS TRIED TO BE CHARITABLE. HOW CAN I SAY TO THEM, YOU SHOULD DO THESE THINGS IF I NEVER DID THEM MYSELF? KYLE: CHRISTOPHER AND MASON WERE BORN AT JUST 29 WEEKS AND HAD MEDICAL CONDITIONS OF THEIR OWN. WE FOUND OUT THAT ONE OF OUR SONS HAD A BRAIN CONDITION. KYLE: BUT HE IS DOING MUCH BETTER THAN EXPECTED, TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH HIS BROTHER. AND MOMENTS LIKE THIS WITH MOM IS WHAT SOLIDIFIED JOSH'S DECISION. SOON, HOURS OF DIALYSIS AND WORRY WILL BE OVER FOR CHRISTINE BECAUSE ONE PERSON SAW AN AD AND DECIDED TO HELP. IT WILL BE A HARD RECOVERY, BUT I THINK IT IS WORTH IT IF IT SAVES HER LIFE. KYLE: THE COMMUNITY IS RALLYING IN SUPPORT FOR THE GOFUNDME PAGE FOR WHEN JOSH IS OUT OF WORK. THE COUPLE SAYS THIS IS AN EXAMPLE FOR THEIR KIDS THAT GOOD DEEDS GO FAR. IT IS AN ACT OF KINDNESS THAT SHOWS YOU CAN DO IT TOO AND CHANGE THE WORLD. KYLE: JOSH SAYS HE HAS A MEETING WITH THE DONOR TEAM AT MAINE MEDICAL CENTER APRIL 8. SURGERY IS SCHEDULED FOR MAY 19 BUT COULD HAPPEN SOONER. PEOPLE OFTEN WAIT YEARS FOR A KIDNEY. WE SEE THIS TYPE OF CULTURE WAS TO DONATION HAPPENING MORE OFTEN. 
 
 The hospital indicated it would consider that as it makes a decision on the law and what, if anything, should happen to the money. 
 
 "Neither Maine Medical Center or the Maine Transplant Center have any interest in managing the funds," Vella said. 
 
 On Friday, the hospital said Dall-Leighton will continue through the testing and standard donor-evaluation process. 
 
 The hospital also said it continues to work to make sure the donation would be in compliance with the National Organ Transplant Act. 
 
 The Maine Medical Center has 99 people on its kidney transplant waiting list. The facility conducted 55 transplants in 2014. 
 
 "We hope to find a way to move forward with the living kidney donation, assuming all of the requirements are met," Vella said. 
 
 Dall-Leighton's wife, Ashley, told WMTW News 8 late Friday morning that they had not heard from the hospital about a decision on the transplant, but said tests that were canceled on Wednesday will now be held next Tuesday.
– An unusual kidney-donation story has taken another strange turn: A transplant involving a Good Samaritan and a woman in need of a kidney is on hold because a fundraising campaign raised too much money, reports the Portland Press Herald. People moved by the generosity of Josh Dall-Leighton have contributed more than $48,000 so far on GoFundMe to cover his unpaid time spent away from work. The initial goal was $6,000, and the Maine hospital scheduled to perform the transplant is worried that any excess money he'd get is tantamount to him selling his kidney, which is illegal. The tale began when Christine Royles, a single mom, wrote a message on her car window seeking a donor. Dall-Leighton saw it and immediately texted her. When tests confirmed he was a match, the Maine Medical Center began preparing for the operation, and a friend of Dall-Leighton's set up the online fundraising page for him. As for making a profit, "obviously that wasn't our intention in any way," Dall-Leighton's wife tells WMTW. Royles, meanwhile, says she's "just kind of in shock" now that the operation is in limbo. The hospital says it is "working through the donor process as we do with all patients of the Maine Transplant Program." An official added yesterday that the hospital hopes "to find a way to move forward." (This woman's kidney donation triggered a chain reaction.)