Ga. police officer recovering after kidney transplant
ATLANTA — A Greensboro, Ga., police officer was recovering from transplant surgery Thursday night, as a kidney donated by a Texas man began to function in his body.
Raleigh Callaway's wife, Kristi Callaway, said Thursday afternoon that "doctors were thrilled with how surgery went." Around 8 p.m. ET Thursday, after her husband had been in recovery for about two hours, she gave an update:
"We were waiting on a kidney ultrasound to confirm that CHRIS' KIDNEY LOOKS AND FUNCTIONS GREAT IN RALEIGH!!! We will be watching his creatinine levels which should steadily decrease. To God we give all the Glory!!!!! Chris is doing and looking wonderful, and I'm waiting to be able to set eyes on my Honey!!! Please continue to pray as these two special men recover!"
Callaway, 49, was suffering from Stage 5 kidney failure in July when his wife and two young daughters appealed for a new kidney via social media with a campaign they hoped would go viral.
The response to photos of Callaway's daughters, Delaini and Braleigh, holding a sign reading, "Our daddy needs a kidney!" was immediate from thousands hoping to help the family.
And the photos convinced Chris Carroll, who lives hundreds of miles away in Texas, to get tested.
"I just knew. Even though there were thousands of people who called in. I just had a feeling that was going to happen," said Carroll.
Carroll told his wife he felt called to help the Callaway family. He was a perfect match.
"Thank you for orchestrating this, thank you for letting us be a part of your plan," said Carroll, in prayer.
As Callaway's health began to decline, Carroll pushed to speed up the donation process. Less than 10 weeks after he first saw the family photo, Carroll donated his kidney to a man he once considered a stranger.
"They're really special people. Very special," Kristi Callaway said of the Carrolls.
The families have gotten to know each other over these past few weeks through hugs and happy tears.
Carroll says giving his kidney to Callaway, a veteran investigator with the Greensboro Police Department, feels like donating to family.
"We're supposed to love one another. We're supposed to sacrifice for one another," he said.
While Raleigh is getting a kidney, they're all growing their family, and finding faith in each other.
"Just thanking God for allowing such a wonderful family to just come in to my life," Raleigh Callaway said.
Contributing: Elissa Koehl, Paste BN