CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — What would you do if you could save a family member's life? For one Chesterfield County man, the answer was simple.
Johnny West never expected a COVID diagnosis in 2020 would lead to kidney failure.
"My endocrinologist says, 'Well, we are having some kidney numbers that don't look good. You need to go to a kidney specialist,'" West said. "And I started doing that, and ever since then, they started declining."
From that point on, his health continued to get worse. Last year, a blockage led to open-heart surgery. Not long after, doctors said he needed a kidney transplant.
For many, that can mean up to six years of waiting. But for West, that answer came much closer to home when his son-in-law, Chandler McLaughlin, made the immediate decision to step up.
"I'm the son-in-law to Mr. West and I'm donating my kidney to him," McLaughlin said.
He says this was about more than just a medical decision; it was about family and their future.
"I want my future kids to have their grandfather. My grandfather was extremely impactful in my life. And I want my kids to have that chance. And he's a great guy. I want the best for him and him to live a really happy, healthy rest of his life," McLaughlin said.
Doctors say McLaughlin is a perfect match, and that donation could give West up to 20 more years of life. For West, that kind of gift is hard to comprehend.
"You know, I thought it was too good to be true at first. It's kind of an emotion of how do you pay someone back for something like that?" West said.
It's a question his family is still trying to answer. His wife, Kim West, says gratitude like this is something you carry for a lifetime.
"Most every day, Johnny and I talk about how do you show someone gratitude for saving your life, and a simple thank you seems very shallow," West said. "But we will be spending the rest of our lives being thankful to our son-in-law, Chandler, for giving him this opportunity to live a very normal life."
Now, with surgery scheduled for Monday morning at VCU, they are holding onto hope. They are also hoping their story reaches someone else who might consider becoming a donor and giving another family more time.
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"There's a few people I've had the chance to talk to that have gone through this process, and they've offered nothing but encouraging words and I'm hoping our story will do the same," McLaughlin said.
March is National Kidney Month, a time to bring awareness about kidney disease. The National Institutes of Health reported that chronic kidney disease affects around 35 million people across the United States, and it is often overlooked until symptoms start to pop up.
To stay on top of your kidney health, experts recommend meeting regularly with your health care team, managing your blood pressure, aiming for a healthy weight, reducing stress, getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day, aiming for seven to eight hours of sleep a night, and quitting smoking.
If you're interested in becoming a kidney donor, here is the website for VCU.
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