Pittsburgh Penguins fan in need of a kidney took her cry for help to Saturday night's game.

The Lancaster County woman made a sign that she took to PPG Paints Arena, and it got the attention of the team's social media accounts, getting thousands of retweets and reactions.

Kelly Sowatsky held her sign reading, "I need a kidney," with her phone number below it.

“It kind of just exploded and it started being shared left and right,” Sowatsky said.

She told Channel 11 she has just 10 percent kidney function after contracting sepsis a few years ago.

But the response from her sign provides new hope.

The Pens fan said she's received hundreds of messages since the sign went viral, including several from people willing to be donors.

"Many of them have said, 'What do I need to do?' It’s a feeling I can’t really describe," she said.

Instead of calling the number on her sign, Sowatsky asks that potential donors contact Johns Hopkins and provide her name. You can also direct questions to 410-614-9345.

About the Author

Featured

Members of the conversion crew take a break as the main scoreboard is lowered to the floor to be worked on as the arena gets ready for the next concert at State Farm Arena, Thursday, October 2, 2025, in Atlanta. The crew was working on creating a stage for the Friday, Oct. 3 Maxwell concert. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com