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Top Cop On Kidney Transplant: 'I'm Ready To Get It Done'

By Heather Cherone | May 26, 2017 3:59pm | Updated on May 30, 2017 8:38am
 Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said he expects to get a kidney transplant within a month.
Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said he expects to get a kidney transplant within a month.
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DNAinfo/Ted Cox

BRIDGEPORT — Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said Friday he expected to undergo a kidney transplant within a month.

"I'm ready to get it done and get back to work," Johnson said while discussing the department's strategy to fight violence during the Memorial Day weekend.

Doctors are working with "several potential donors," Johnson, 56, said.

"I've learned that doctors are more strict with the donors than they are the recipient" to ensure the donors recovers quickly, Johnson said.

The Sun-Times has reported that Johnson's doctors are considering three donors, including the superintendent's son.

Johnson told reporters in January that he was diagnosed with a kidney disease 32 years ago when he applied to be a Chicago police officer and was required to take a blood test. He said he has managed it since then without medicine.

Johnson revealed his condition after almost collapsing at a news conference.

Johnson is among the more than 123,000 Americans on the organ transplant list. However, only 7,000 people receive a transplant each year; 12 people die every day waiting for a kidney.