Retired Sergeant Receives a Kidney Donation From His Coworker

From now on, Thanksgiving will always have a special meaning for Jim Anderson, a retired Arizona police officer, and it’s all because of a certain gift that was meant to save his life.

The 60-year-old retired sergeant left the Pima County Sheriff’s Department in 2010 after a 20-year career due to increased problems with his diabetes. Suffering from the condition for years, he relied on dialysis but eventually experienced kidney failure.

Anderson desperately needed a kidney transplant, but he knew that it might not be easy to find.

“My first option for a donor was my sister, but she was too old,” Anderson told KOLD. “The second option was my wife, Karen, but her kidney was not large enough to support me.”

Jim Anderson, a 60-year-old retired sergeant, received a kidney from his colleague. Screenshot/Fox

One day, Anderson wrote a post on Facebook about the fact that he was looking for a kidney, and a friend happened to see it and was touched. He decided to contact Anderson and say the unexpected.

“Chad saw this post and felt compelled to volunteer. If Chad had not been a suitable donor, I had a fourth option in my niece, Kara. I feel truly blessed that so many people came forward for me,” said Anderson to KOLD.

“You know, it was more of just kind of an off-hand comment, and he picked up on it.”

Chad Avery is a longtime friend of Anderson and also an employee at the Pima County Sheriff’s Department since 1999.

“I knew his health wasn’t that great, but I didn’t know he needed a kidney,” said Avery. “When I saw that, I went, ‘Okay, I’m gonna find out.”

Chad Avery, right, donated one of his kidneys to his longtime friend and colleague Jim Anderson, left. Screenshot/Fox

After finding out he was a match, Avery didn’t hesitate to do what he had originally planned.

“It was an easy decision,” said Avery. “It was literally less than five minutes for me to think about it, and I’ve never looked back at it. It was always—we’re doing this. This is what we’re going to do.”

It has been a month since the two men had the operation at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center. Both men are doing well, and both men are thankful to each other.

“I am going to be giving thanks for heroes like Chad,” Anderson said, according to a report from AZfamily.

“I’m going to be giving thanks for being blessed to be able to help a friend and fellow human being,” said Avery.

Chad Avery donated his kidney to Jim Anderson after he read on Facebook that his colleague had diabetes and needed a kidney transplant. Screenshot/Fox

According to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, it’s the fourth time that an employee of the department or family member received a donation from their colleague.

“It was just such an incredible, incredible uplift. I mean, the Lord never gifted me with a brother, when I was a young man, but I feel like I’ve got a brother by blood now,” said Anderson.

Fox contributed to this report