Georgia Cop Needs a Kidney and Your Help

A veteran of a Georgia police department needs the public's help to save his life, WSB-TV reports.

Raleigh Callaway has been on the force at the Greensboro Police Department for 24 years, but his body is beginning to fail him. He has been diagnosed with end-stage renal failure, meaning that his kidneys are only functioning at 10 percent efficiency. Soon, Callaway will begin dialysis and be placed on the kidney transplant list.

Callaway's family, which includes his wife, 19-year-old son, and four 2-year-old daughters, are relying on their faith and the kindness of strangers to help the veteran cop get a new kidney.

He will officially go on the transplant list on Aug. 5, but in the meantime the search for living kidney donors has begun. Kidneys from living donors give an extra five to 15 years of life than kidneys donated from cadavers.

Callaway is blood type AB+, meaning he can receive blood from anyone, however, the greatest indicator of a match for a kidney transplant is how donor antibodies and patient antibodies interact with one another. A simple blood test can determine this

The average recovery time for someone who donates a kidney is around three to seven days, and all costs will be reimbursed through Callaway's insurance and a private fund set up to cover expenses.

If you are interested in potentially being a donor for Raleigh Callaway, please contact the Emory transplant center at 855-366-7989. When asked, please tell them that you wish to be tested to match Raleigh Callaway, birthday March 6, 1965.