Chicago's Top Cop Could Get New Kidney From Son: Report

CHICAGO, IL — Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson could soon be receiving a kidney transplant after his son, a cousin and two other anonymous donors have been identified as possible matches, Chicago's top cop told Michael Sneed of the Chciago Sun-Times. Although the screening process is still continuing, Johnson said the transplant surgery could happen as early as June at Rush University Medical Center, the report added.

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Johnson has been battling the kidney disorder glomerulonephritis for the past 32 years, and he was placed on the transplant list a couple years after being diagnosed, the report stated. Mayor Rahm Emanuel knew of the condition when he tapped Johnson for the superintendent position after the firing of Garry McCarthy in 2015. But Johnson's health issues became public in January after he became ill during a press conference, although that was unrelated to his kidney disorder.

"For 32 years, I've been treated for a kidney condition that does not affect my ability to live a normal life," he said at the time.

RELATED: Chicago Police Superintendent Speaks On Health Issues

Despite the condition affecting his kidneys, Johnson is not on dialysis nor does he have diabetes. In January, he said he expected the transplant surgery to sideline him for around three to five weeks. Johnson told Sneed that his 25-year-old son, Daniel, is the leading candidate for the kidney donation.

“When the press found out I needed a kidney transplant about a month or so ago, I was inundated with a lot of enthusiasm from people offering to make donations," Johnson told Sneed in a March 18 interview. "I had been on a transplant list for a couple of years after being diagnosed 31 years ago — and was waiting for a conventional transplant donation. But now things have changed and are moving quite rapidly.“Now people are volunteering to donate a kidney. …

“To be honest, I’m getting to a point that I’ve babied these puppies about as far as I’m getting to go,” he added.

In the meantime, Johnson continues working out and eating healthy, which has resulted in losing 35 pounds.

"This whole process has been amazing,” he told Sneed.

More via the Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson (photo via Patch archive)

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