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But that’s where Airdrie resident Tony Timmons enters the Maclennan’s life.

Maclennan said he’d never met Timmons until a few months ago but, as luck would have it, Timmons’ wife runs a daycare attended by one of Maclennan’s co-worker’s children.

Timmons saw one of the billboards and started going through donor testing and it turns out he was a match for Maclennan.

The co-worker helped connect the two men who have become fast friends, with Maclennan saying Timmons is an “all-around awesome person.”

“You can only say thank you so many times, but he’s definitely a hero in my eyes,” Maclennan told Postmedia, speaking of Timmons and his more-than-generous offer.

“I’ve had extremely good friends and family members who really didn’t have the courage to step forward, and then I have someone who doesn’t even know me step forward.”

Maclennan said he put off announcing the news he had found a match because there still a chance the surgery could get bumped by a few days or he won’t be healthy enough to go through with the operation.

“The docs tell me if I get sick, if I get bad blood results, or for a few other reasons, then the surgery will not happen,” he said. “But I have to be strong and think positive because I have been given a miracle.”

Calgary

Mclennan was a mechanic before his kidneys began to fail about 15 years ago and he was unable to continue working in his field.

He is now mechanics and autobody teacher at Father Lacombe High School in Calgary, winning a Teacher of the Year award about four years ago.