Fayette County

Metro Atlanta assistant principal back in action after kidney transplant

PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. — An assistant principal in Peachtree City had a homecoming after being out of school for months while recovering from a kidney transplant.

Channel 2’s Berndt Petersen was at McIntosh High, where he’s been following his story since last fall.

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Assistant Principal Leon Hammond is McIntosh High School’s big man on campus.

“Ahh! Is he fragile? Should we bump him? I don’t know,” twelfth-grader Caroline Bach exclaimed.

Hammond has been on leave for three months since his surgery.

“I’ve never been off work that long,” Hammond said.

Channel 2 Action News first introduced you to Hammond last fall, when he announced he had Stage 4 kidney disease.

Former Morris Brown College and NFL linebacker Willie Blackwell, a transplant recipient himself, urged Hammond to take his need for a donor public.

“It was spot on. Getting my story out there was perfect,” Hammond said.

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And this week, he returned to the place he loves, with a new kidney.

“He always brings a positive attitude and makes school a much better place,” twelfth-grader Lani Messer said.

“He’s like a dad to me in this school. He does have a huge, enormous head, which he thinks so much of! He’s honestly the greatest guy here,” ninth-grader Mya Perez said.

“Oh, it was just amazing to see him.” fellow Assistant Principal Nicole Guest said.

She helped throw Hammond an ice cream party, where she also served lots of cans of kidney beans.

“We’re ecstatic to have him back! Just in time for graduation. I told him if I didn’t see him there it would be a problem, so he’s gonna be there and I’m excited,” Bach said.

McIntosh High’s graduation ceremony is next Friday, May 26.

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