A retired Escambia County Sheriff's Office deputy's prayers for a kidney donor have been answered.

We first told you about Rudy Brown in June 2024 as he humbly asked for help to find a kidney.

Now, he has a donor. That story led to Doyle Carpenter finding out that he is the perfect match for Rudy. The transplant is now set for May 12.

"I'm more than excited," Rudy told NorthEscambia.com on Wednesday. "It's like I'm still dreaming; I have to pinch myself to make sure it's real."

Rudy joined the ECSO in December 1989 and spent 24 years on patrol in Escambia County. He retired due to his medical condition in 2013 and underwent a liver transplant in 2018.

"I pretty much bled out two times on the table," he said. "It nearly killed me."

The required anti-rejection medications caused his kidneys to fail just over year later. He's in final stages of kidney failure and has been on the transplant list since October 2020, but his number never came up as he stayed on dialysis.

A donor like Carpenter was his only option to live.

Through what's called the directed donor program, Carpenter's donation can actually save two lives -- Rudy will receive one of his kidneys, and the next person on the transplant will receive any kidney that may have been destined for Rudy.