CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson will undergo kidney transplant surgery Wednesday, an operation that is expected to take five to six hours.
Doctor Jochen Reiser, Chairperson of Internal Medicine and Nephrologist at Rush Medical Center, stopped by ABC7 to help better explain what the Johnson family is going through. Reiser has spent his entire career studying kidney disease.
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The 57-year-old superintendent said he's been waiting 31 years to feel better. Wednesday will be the start of a new life for Johnson.
Johnson's private medical issues became public back in January, when he fainted during a press conference and it was caught on camera. The superintendent said that experience has encouraged others to visit doctors and seek treatment if they think they have the same issue.
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When it was clear Johnson's kidneys were failing, his son, Daniel, stepped forward and offered to be a living donor. If his son hadn't offered his kidney, it would've been a long wait. The national waiting list is 100,000 deep. On average, it takes five years before there's a match.
Johnson arrived at Rush University Medical Center around 6:10 a.m. and spoke to the press. He said he's feeling great, but is anxious to complete the procedure.