Pa. National Guard Medic Donates Kidney to Ailing Comrade

Feb.18, 2014— -- As National Guard medics, Sgt. Daniel Famous and Sgt. Joseph Love live by a creed that they will "aid all those who are needful ... placing their needs above my own."

Sgt. Love, 31, proved today that he can also walk the walk, donating his kidney to an ailing Sgt. Famous, 46, his supervising officer.

The two successfully underwent surgery today at a Pennsylvania hospital after Love went out of his way to get matched as a potential organ donor for Famous, whose kidney function was deteriorating due to a genetic disorder.

"Both patients are doing very well," a spokesperson from Pinnacle Health hospital in Harrisburg, Pa., told ABC News. "The new kidney is functioning great for Daniel Famous."

Famous, who trains medics for the Pennsylvania National Guard, was preparing for a deployment when the lifelong kidney disease took a turn for the worst and prevented him from leaving, according to local ABC affiliate WHTM.

Love, of Enola, Pa., was relatively new to Famous' unit, but when he heard the news that Famous needed a kidney donor, he began a five-month testing process in March 2013 to see if he could be a match for Famous, a husband and father of two, according to the Joint Force Headquarters of the Pennsylvania National Guard.

After undergoing weekly blood pressure tests, urinalysis and glucose testing, Love was approved by doctors in August to be a kidney donor and surprised the ailing sergeant with the good news, officials said.

“Not only will this enable me to maintain the way of life I’m used to, it will allow me to stay in the Pennsylvania National Guard on my terms until I’m ready to retire,” Famous said in an interview with the Joint Force Headquarters news service. “If this hadn’t come through, I’d be starting dialysis in the next couple of months and my military career would be over.”

Famous and Love and their family members were not available for comment today.