North Charleston officer diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease on donor waitlist; GoFundMe established to support his family

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – It’s a police officer’s job to protect and serve. One officer with the North Charleston Police Department is now leaning on his community for help.

Officer Jonathan Donnelly was diagnosed with Stage 3 chronic kidney disease in January 2022. He was referred to the Medical University of South Carolina’s transplant team where doctors were hopeful that he would receive a kidney transplant before needing dialysis.

Donnelly was placed on the wait list in March 2023; however, his wife, Alissa, said in a GoFundMe that his health has been in decline since that time. She said he now has Stage 5 chronic kidney disease and has begun dialysis treatment.

Stage 5 is often referred to as end-stage kidney disease, or kidney failure, according to the National Kidney Foundation. People diagnosed with stage 5 need dialysis or a kidney transplant to survive.

Donnelly, who has been with the North Charleston Police Department for three and a half years, has not been able to work because of surgery, medical appointments, and dialysis training – and that has put a strain on his family and their financial situation. He is married with two daughters, ages two and four.

“It was kind of a devastating blow to my family and to myself,” Donnelly said during a Thursday morning news conference. “I had a little bit of time when I got diagnosed originally that I could continue working. It started to get a little bit harder as I was getting more tired as this disease progressed.”

He has been on medical leave for much of 2024. A GoFundMe has been established to help Donnelly and his family with regular bills and medical expenses.

“He is committed to serving the community in North Charleston. He’s a humble and kind person and he needs his community,” said Deputy Chief Scott Perry.

Donnelly said his blood type is B positive (B+) and he is on a waiting list for a donation. While family members have tried to help, their blood types do not match.

He wants to raise awareness not only for his situation but those who are affected by kidney disease across the country who may be waiting for that potentially lifesaving gift.

“If someone is an organ donor, or if someone gives up a kidney or something like that, then I’m just on a list from that point,” he said.

Donnelly said the support he has received from the North Charleston Police Department has been amazing and that many across the department check on him daily.

“When I joined this department, I knew that kind of like the military, it’s a brotherhood […] it truly is a family. It became a family. I’ve had perfect support from this department,” he said.

For more information about MUSC’s living donor program, please click here or call 843-792-5097. If you can donate to Officer Donnelly’s family, click here.