Kevin Johnson of Wisconsin needed a kidney. The donor surprised him.

Feb. 20--A kidney transplant between two former family members once related by marriage is scheduled for Tuesday at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.

When Hudson, Wis., resident Kevin Johnson went in for a checkup three years ago, doctors sent him to a kidney specialist where he was diagnosed with Stage 3 kidney disease.

A year later, he was sent to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, where doctors told him his kidneys were failing. He either needed a kidney transplant or to go on dialysis, a process that helps filter waste from the blood when kidneys no longer work.

Johnson's daughters posted about the situation on Facebook and asked anyone who was able to get tested and see if they could be a match.

"Their post put me to tears," Johnson said.

A short while later, doctors told Johnson he had a donor -- but they couldn't tell him who it was. Little did he know it was Molly Lannon, the ex-wife of his father-in-law.

"It was neat to surprise him and say, yep, it's me," Lannon said.

Just two years apart, Johnson and Lannon have known each other for 25 years. They kept in close contact and still consider each other family.

Lannon found out she was a potential match Oct. 27. It wasn't until after Christmas that she could tell Johnson, to confirm they were a match.

"It felt amazing that somebody would do that for me," Johnson said. "I'm not so afraid now because I got somebody who's going through it with me."

HISTORIC ANNIVERSARY FOR HOSPITAL

Johnson and Lannon walked into HCMC for their preoperative checkup on Feb. 13, which happened to be 55 years after HCMC's first organ transplant.

"It takes a lot for someone to step forward and donate a kidney," said their transplant surgeon, Dr. Paul Stahler. "Especially if it's not a blood relative."

In the U.S., more than 115,000 people are on the waiting list for one or more organ, and the overwhelming majority need a kidney. In Minnesota, that number is 3,000.

While most kidney transplants are from deceased donors, doctors prefer kidneys from living donors, which typically are higher quality and more quickly transplanted.

But finding a match can be difficult, Stahler noted.

"Insurance and work places don't make it easy for people to donate a kidney," Stahler said. "The transplant community is trying to push legislation to make it easier for people to donate."

BECOMING AN ORGAN DONOR

After seeing the Facebook post, Lannon decided to see if she could help. She contacted HCMC Transplant Coordinator Jennifer Bodner, who gave her some screening forms to fill out.

After Lannon was considered a potential donor, she went in for compatibility testing. They tested her blood and tissue types, and determined she was a match. Medical and psychosocial evaluations followed to make sure Lannon -- and her kidneys -- are healthy enough for the transplant.

"They want to have a good outcome for both people and make sure that I'm very safe in the process, too," Lannon said.

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TO HELP

Minnesotans can register online to become an organ and tissue donor through Donate Life Minnesota.

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