A North Texas lawmaker is recovering following a kidney transplant.
State senator Kelly Hancock's secret is out - he has a rare kidney disease he's been managing for over 30 years. His health started deteriorating at the end of last year and he was told he would need a new kidney. The North Richland Hills Republican thought he'd have to be on dialysis for years before he could get on a transplant list.
But his family stepped up and while no blood relative was a match, his son-in-law Greg Cox was and Hancock told NBC 5 he agreed to be the donor.
"I was blessed and incredibly fortunate to have a living donor," Cox said. "2.5 percent of the people who have kidney transplants do it before going on dialysis."
The successful kidney transplant was completed on Wednesday. Both men are doing well and a full recovery is expected to take several months.
While Hancock kept his illness quiet for many years he's now ready to raise awareness about the importance of organ donation.
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