North Charleston officer in need of kidney receives life-changing donation

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – It has been a little over two years since North Charleston officer Jonathan Donnelly was diagnosed with stage five chronic kidney disease.

He was on dialysis and left to search for a donor who could potentially save his life. Now, Donnelly is receiving that life-saving kidney thanks to the wife of a fellow North Charleston officer.

With an urgent need for a kidney transplant, the North Charleston Police Department held a press conference in August 2024 to explain Officer Donnelly’s situation in hopes that someone would step forward as a potential match and donor.

Accompanying the announcement was a link that encouraged people to find out if and how they could become donors and to support Donnelly’s family through their difficult time.

“So, I thought maybe I could do something more than just raise some money,” the donor said in a video the City of North Charleston shared Monday. “Honestly, I can’t explain what led me to look into this. It just felt right and felt like he was in need and that I could fulfill the need.”

Officer Donnelly said he was notified by Deputy Chief Scott Perry that his wife, Lindsey, was getting tested to see if she was a match.

“It’s blood type, antigens. There’s so much that has to line up,” she said. “I’m really not even sure what all gets tested, but I know a big part of being a donor is your personal health. So not only do you have to be a match for him, but you have to be healthy enough to be a donor.”

And it was a match – a perfect match as Donnelly described in the video.

Officer Donnelly said he received a phone call in November from the Medical University of South Carolina that someone had come forward and they were a match.

“It changed everything, honestly, because at that moment we had a date when it was going to come to an end and it was just a relief, a major relief,” said Donnelly.

Lindsey called it a rush of emotions. “It was the best news because we had just been hoping for that. That’s why you go through the whole process is just to hear those words […] It felt like everything that had led up to that was the exact right place and time for me.”

Officer Donnelly said Lindsey’s selfless act has given him a new outlook on life. He’s now looking forward to getting back to normal – caring for his wife, playing with their young children, and returning to work.

“A lot of things that you take for granted when you’re not sick,” he said.

“I think that’s humanity,” Lindsey said of being a donor. “That’s why we’re here, to help each other, to be kind, to be generous, to do what we can for one another.”

“I’m proud, but I’m mostly just honored to be a part of his story of getting back to being the dad that his girls deserve and need. So, he’s going to be able to do that, be a better partner for his wife again. And like I said, get back to fulfilling his desire to be a police officer,” Lindsey added.

Lindsey hopes this story inspires others to consider being a donor and encourages others to be a little better each day.

For more information about MUSC’s living donor program, please click here or call 843-792-5097.