Valley man who has motivated people to save lives now looking for someone to save his

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A Valley man who has motivated people to save lives is now looking for someone to save his.

He can hear the hymn ascending, and purify his spirit, but Jose David Salinas has trouble purifying his own blood.

"Very scary," said Salinas.

Salinas has two jobs, but he is best known for spinning dough and slinging pizzas, all the way up to the Fast Eddie's Pizza favorite the 28-inch Big Ed. But I first met up with him and his wife Courtney last year, when his uncertain health inspired a blood drive.

"It's been a year of changing lifestyle, realizing the way you eat, the way we take care of your body affects you," Courtney Salinas.

Both Jose and Courtney have each lost more than 100 pounds in about a year to get healthier, and it has trickled down to their three kids as well.

"The less bad stuff we eat, the more healthy we can get and none of our kidneys do that to us," said Emily Salinas.

But Jose's kidney function is at less than 20 percent, so he is the one who needs a donation now.

More than 100,000 people are waiting for kidney transplants, according to the National Kidney Foundation. Doctors perform about 17,000 a year, so patients can wait a long time. Salinas could be waiting seven years as his health slowly deteriorates.

"It's pretty tough, you know, to sit here and want to provide for my family... and change a lot of the ways I'm used to. Get up early and go to work," said Salinas.

Now he has to work less and sleep more and his wife is hoping a living donor can help lift the dark cloud over her family.

Potential donors can get onto the website UCDonor.org, enter the name Jose Salinas and his birthdate, May 4, 1977.

"I praise the man upstairs for putting people like that in my life," said Salinas.