NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – It’s a police officer’s job to protect and serve. One officer with the North Charleston Police Department is now leaning on his community for help.
Officer Jonathan Donnelly was diagnosed with Stage 3 chronic kidney disease in January 2022. He was referred to the Medical University of South Carolina’s transplant team where doctors were hopeful that he would receive a kidney transplant before needing dialysis.
Donnelly was placed on the wait list in March 2023; however, his wife, Alissa, said in a GoFundMe that his health has been in decline since that time. She said he now has Stage 5 chronic kidney disease and has begun dialysis treatment.
Stage 5 is often referred to as end-stage kidney disease, or kidney failure, according to the National Kidney Foundation . People diagnosed with stage 5 need dialysis or a kidney transplant to survive.
Donnelly, who has been with the North Charleston Police Department for three and a half years, has not been able to work because of surgery, medical appointments, and dialysis training – and that has put a strain on his family and their financial situation. He is married with two daughters, ages two and four.