Johnson attended Sunday service at Salem Baptist Church on the Far South Side for a discussion about organ donation in honor of National Donate Life Month. Gift of Hope is teaming up with city officials to register 1,000 new donors during April.
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Johnson shared his story of being diagnosed with a kidney disorder 30 years ago.
"I made a decision that day, I can either be sad and mope about it, or I can get busy living. I chose to get busy living," Johnson said.
Now he needs a transplant.
Johnson said the kidney donor he thought he had lined up fell through, and he's now looking for a new potential donor.
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Monica Fox, who received a kidney transplant on Nov. 23, knows the importance of organ donation.
Fox was on dialysis for three years not knowing if she'd get a new kidney. And when she did, she knew it was a new lease on life.
Now, she encourages people to become donors to save others.
"If something happens to me and there is something that someone else can use to extend their life, I would be happy in heaven," Fox said.