DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. — A man who devoted his life to helping others is now asking for help.
The Douglas County fire chief is in need of a kidney and is looking for a living donor.
Fire Chief Miles Allen has teamed up with Piedmont Hospital and the National Kidney Registry to help find that donor.
“I’m praying for that day,” Allen said about when he will be able to have fully functional kidneys. “For me, it is more genetic. My mother passed away from renal failure.”
Allen has Polycystic Kidney Disease, along with around 600,000 other people in the country.
“My kidneys have several cysts on them,” Allen said.
The chief told Channel 2’s Eryn Rogers that his problems started in 2010 when he was preparing to have knee surgery.
“That’s when they recognized it,” Allen said.
Doctors put him on medication to slow the progression.
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“But now, it’s getting to a point where my kidney function is starting to diminish,” Allen said.
He said his kidneys are working at 13% now, and he might have to start dialysis soon if he can’t find a donor.
“I’m reaching out to family, friends, co-workers, strangers,” Allen said.
Doctors say family isn’t the best option because it’s a genetic disease, but the more people who get tested, the better chance he will have.
“If you have two good functioning kidneys, be a blessing to someone else and get tested,” Allen said.
Now, the man who’s served his country in the Air Force before serving his country in public safety for the past nearly 40 years, is hoping someone will step up to serve him.
“Think about becoming a donor. It’s a major decision in someone’s life, but it’s a major contribution that you can do to continue someone’s life,” Allen said.
Rogers asked the chief why he and his doctor decided to go the living donor route, and that’s because the kidney lifespan from a living donor is nearly double that of a nonliving donor.
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