Woodstock Woman To Donate Kidney to Elgin Man

WOODSTOCK, IL — A Woodstock woman will donate one of her kidneys Thursday to an Elgin man who desperately needs it. Heidi Dooley, 43, learned about Dave Thompson’s struggles through a Daily Herald article. Thompson, 69, who has had chronic kidney disease for 16 years, suffered a second stroke last year and has been on dialysis since September.

Family members were tested to see if they would be a kidney match for Thompson, but they were not. In total, 65 potential donors came forward — including Dooley.

On Thursday morning, the transplant will take place at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

Dooley, a behavioral health consultant for Northwestern, has been wanting to do “something good” to help someone else and decided donating her kidney to a stranger was it, according to the article.

“Ultimately, I just hope it works," Dooley told the Daily Herald. "Surgery is surgery. Northwestern has never lost a donor in surgery. I know it's a risk, but it's pretty rare. Ultimately, if I'm uncomfortable for a week, it's a really small price to pay for Dave hopefully feeling better and having a better quality of life."

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