Post Transplant Sheriff Unveils First Donate Life Month Law Enforcement Badge To Boost Kidney Donation Awareness

Sheriff A.J. Smith Launches First Donate Life Month Law Enforcement Badge After Wife’s kidney transplant

USA: Franklin County Sheriff A.J. Smith received a kidney transplant from his wife last year after years of battling kidney disease, and he is now using his position in law enforcement to spotlight organ donation. Smith says his recovery has given him a new platform to educate colleagues and the community about transplantation and living kidney donation.

Smith created the first-ever Donate Life Month Law Enforcement Badge in honor of Donate Life Month, a visible emblem meant to increase awareness of the need for donors and the impact of transplantation. The badge initiative is intended to start conversations about donor registration, the logistics of living donation, and how transplantation can restore health and daily life.

Smith’s personal journey—from chronic kidney disease to receiving a spousal donor kidney—frames his outreach, illustrating the human side of transplantation and the role family donors can play. He is emphasizing that recovery and return to duty are possible after transplant, while highlighting gaps in public knowledge about organ and tissue donation.

As Sheriff, Smith hopes the badge and his story will encourage residents to learn about registering as donors, discuss donation with loved ones, and consider living donation when possible. His campaign places organ donation and transplantation at the center of a community conversation led from the county’s law enforcement ranks.

Video originally published on 2026-04-09 22:48:27