Man Offers Own Kidney to Save Business (Reuters)

ROME (Reuters) - A Sicilian entrepreneur has offered to donate parts of his body for organ transplants in an effort to keep his business alive.
"I am ready to donate a kidney, a retina or part of my liver," Giuseppe Schirru was quoted as saying in Italian newspapers Thursday. "I don't mean to sell them. I will offer them up for donation in exchange for a loan," he added. Schirru owns a small shop near the Sicilian capital Palermo that sells orthopedic goods, but he has recently run on hard times because of cash flow problems. "My business is not a failure. Far from it. Look at my turnover. But we work with the local health authority and they always pay after enormous delays," the 39-year old said. He said he needed funds to pay for supplies and bills, complaining that local banks were refusing to give him loans. "I'm not a madman and I don't want to be put away, but I have knocked on every door and had no reply," he was quoted as saying in La Repubblica newspaper. Schirru was not immediately reachable for comment. His telephone lines have been cut off for non-payment of bills.