By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
WARSAW — Times-Union Sports Editor Connor McCann needs a big assist.
The 27-year old who is originally from Glenview, Ill., only has one kidney and it has been going downhill since 2019 and he’s now on the verge of kidney failure.
In 2019, his GFR, on a scale of 100 to 0 (with 100 being perfectly healthy), stood at around 35.
In March, that had dropped to 13.
“Ever since then, I have been dealing with the prospect that this kidney that I have is long long for this world and at some point, will hopefully avoid dialysis but to do that, I will need to get a kidney transplant.”
McCann was expected to head to a hospital in Chicago late this week to begin a series of tests that will hopefully open the door for him to be placed on a waiting list for a kidney transplant.
In the meantime, he, his family and his co-workers have been rallying for him in a publicity campaign aimed at finding donors. That’s involved Facebook and Instagram pages as well as flyers posted in Warsaw and Elkhart where he and his girlfriend live.
Another odd wrinkle: Unless somebody tells him they’re taking steps to be considered as a transplant donor, McCann won’t know until approval has been determined because of privacy laws known as HIPPA.
“Right now, I think I have six or seven people in the process. It might be even more. They don’t tell me because of the Hippa laws. I’m not allowed to know where or when anybody signs up or is in the process,” McCann said.
McCann has health insurance and the costs of all expenses (pulse mileage and lost wages) for the donor would be covered.
In the meantime, McCann is still writing game stories and designing sports pages for the Times-Union.
If the process continues to drag on and the kidney continues to deteriorate, McCann will be forced to consider two types of dialysis.
To learn more and consider getting involved, check out his Facebook and Instagram pages titled Kidney4Connor.
McCann talked with News Now Warsaw for this week’s In The Know, the public affairs show you can hear this weekend on Kensington Digital Media radio stations.
In The Know can be heard at the following times:
News Now Warsaw (99.7 FM and 1480 AM):
Fridays at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Saturdays at 7 a.m.
Sundays at 7 a.m. & 2 p.m.
WRSW (107.3):
Sundays at 6 a.m.
Willie (103.5 FM):
Sundays at 6 a.m.
