Shreveport Navy veteran donates kidney to wife after COVID-19 caused her kidneys to fail

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) — The Allens are a match in more ways than one. The Shreveport couple shares both love and kidneys.

LeVar Allen served in the U.S. Navy from 1998 to 2001. His wife, Brandy, says he already does so much for her and the country, but he could not just stand by when Brandy was diagnosed with COVID-19 in April of 2020.

“Instantly, I knew that I was going to [donate my kidney],” LeVar said, smiling. “I love her.”

The virus had attacked Brandy’s kidneys.

“By day four, I started to feel very ill. My husband took me to the hospital and they said, ‘You’re in kidney failure,’” Brandy explained.

Since that moment, Brandy has been on dialysis. She has visited clinics in Shreveport, Dallas and Jackson, Miss.

“It was a three- to five-year waiting period,” LeVar said.

“You also get microvascular clotting, a vascular disease, from it, so you get little clots all over the place. If they happen to go to your kidney, then your kidney doesn’t get the blood supply it’s supposed to,” Dr. David Arnold explained.

Dr. Arnold performed the transplant for the couple at Baylor University Medical Center in early July. The couple is staying in Dallas for a few more weeks while they recover.

For more information on being a living donor, click here.

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