A young woman in Florida has a sign that could save her life on her car, but her homeowner's association is warning her to take it down.
"'Are you freaking kidding me?!' I think is what I actually said,” said the 23-year-old's mother Tammi Morales.
Deed-restricted communities exist in large numbers in the Tampa Bay area.
"This is something that's important. It's not something where we're just trying to break the rules,” said Tammi.
Tammi and her daughter, Gabi, live in Glen Oaks inside the Countryway neighborhood in Tampa.
"She goes, that sign has to come down-- because it's against the rules,” said Tammi.
"I would just like a kidney,” said Gabi.
The HOA rules seem pretty silly when you're a 23-year-old on dialysis.
"I had my prior kidney transplant when I was turning 5 years old from my dad and it lasted me 18 years,” said Gabi.
Gabi was born with one kidney only 10 percent developed and the other one, not developed at all. By age three, she was on dialysis.
Gabi's magnet says she's looking for a "living kidney donor." She's already on three hospital waiting lists but the magnet, she says, gets complete strangers asking how they can help.
"I'm only a match to technically 1 percent of the world so it's a little bit harder for me to find a match,” she explained.
Tampa-based WFTS knocked on doors around Glen Oaks.
"It's actually really bad that people are actually complaining. They should just let it go,” said Glen Oaks homeowner Rohan Bangera.
Most neighbors think the HOA should let this one slide. But there were others who spoke to WFTS off-camera who think her sign needs to go.
We also contacted the Glen Oaks HOA President who did not respond to our requests for an interview.
"We're not selling anything. We're not promoting. We're not saying give us money,” said Tammi.
Gabi and her mom don't plan on taking the sign down, even if they're fined, not until she doesn't need a sign anymore.
"As soon as I get my kidney, I can take this off,” Gabi said.
If you want more information on how you can help Gabi find a kidney you can email her at: FindAKidney4Gabi@Yahoo.com.
