A Sunset police officer suffering from kidney disease is getting more time with his family after his brother came forward to donate his kidney.
Officer Chris Lastrapes was diagnosed with stage 4 chronic kidney disease last year. He’s been on leave without pay while waiting for the transplant.
"When you sit in a chair for 4 hours a day, 3 days a week, sometimes four days, just to keep yourself going, just to be alive the next day, and somebody comes along and says they’re going to give you life, it means the world," said Chris Lastrapes.
The officer’s brother, David Lastrapes, says it wasn’t even a question when it came down to what to do.
"I’m not going to let him die because he can’t have a kidney, which I know I can live with one. So, it was a no-brainer. I’m going to do what I gotta do."
A rice and gravy cook-off fundraiser was held for Officer Lastrapes on Saturday at the Sunset Community Center to help him out with medical expenses. Organizers deemed the event a success.
