NCDOT engineer donates kidney to fellow church member

HICKORY, N.C. — A life‑changing act of generosity is being celebrated in Hickory after an NCDOT engineer donated a kidney to a fellow church member.

J.P. Nelson was in late‑stage renal failure when he joined St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church, where he met N.C. Department of Transportation Corridor Development Engineer Dean Ledbetter.

After seeing Nelson’s name added to the church prayer list, Ledbetter’s wife asked him if he would consider becoming a donor.

Both completed questionnaires, and doctors soon discovered Ledbetter was a perfect match.

Nelson learned the news on his first day of dialysis. “When I found out somebody readily donated, I’m like, ‘Who is this person, and why would they donate to me?’” he said.

Ledbetter says he believes the kidney was meant for Nelson. He credits his family, his church community, and NCDOT’s organ‑donation leave policy for making the process possible.

The policy allowed him to attend medical appointments without using vacation or sick time.

Ledbetter returned to work just weeks after the transplant, and his wife is now hoping to become a donor as well.

Doctors recently cleared Nelson to return to church and public activities, calling his recovery one of the fastest they’ve seen.

“It’s a great feeling to know I’ve done something to change somebody else’s life,” Ledbetter said.

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