CHICAGO (CBS) — Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson was admitted to Rush University Medical Center on Wednesday, to receive a kidney transplant from his 25-year-old son.
Johnson has been suffering from a rare kidney disease for more than 30 years.
The city’s top cop revealed he suffers from a rare kidney disease earlier this year, after falling ill at a press conference in January.
His kidneys are functioning at 10 percent capacity. When his son, Daniel, learned about that, he offered to donate one of his kidneys to his dad.
After arriving at the hospital around 6 a.m., Johnson said he expects to spend 3-5 days at Rush after Wednesday’s surgery, and then 3-6 weeks recovering at home before returning to work. The surgery itself will take about 3 to 4 hours for both Johnson and his son.
“I just really want to thank the citizens of Chicago. The support that my son and I have gotten is unexpected and overwhelming,” Johnson said. “It’s not really about Eddie Johnson. It’s about shining a spotlight on organ donation, period; but I’m proud of him, because it’s a decision that he made on his own, you know? And it’s humbling.”
Johnson dropped more than 45 pounds before the transplant, and doctors also told his son to lose weight before donating his kidney. The superintendent has said his doctors told him losing weight before the transplant will reduce the recovery time after surgery.
Since he found out he would need a new kidney, Johnson has been an active supporter of Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network.
from CBS Chicago http://ift.tt/2wS1zch
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