DES PLAINES (AP) – For a year and a half, Timothy Brennan has been a regular at Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, faithfully playing the slots with the hope of winning big.

Brennan recently hit the jackpot. But it was something the 64-year-old Elmhurst man could never have imagined winning, and more valuable than all the money the casino could ever pay out: a kidney donated by a casino valet.

After surviving triple bypass surgery, losing a portion of his left ear to cancer, and having his gallbladder removed, Brennan was told about 5 years ago that his kidneys were failing. He was given 3 weeks to live if he didn’t immediately start dialysis treatment.