A 3-year-old boy in need of a new kidney and the Palm Desert deputy who donated the much-needed organ to the child were recovering Tuesday following successful transplant surgery, according to the sheriff's department.
Matthew Castleberry, the son of a former sheriff's deputy, was diagnosed in utero with posterior urethral valves. The condition, a developmental abnormality in the urethra, caused severe damage to the toddler's bladder and kidneys, forced him to undergo numerous operations, and required him to be on dialysis since birth.
Deputy Alicia Lopez of the Palm Desert Station came up as a donor match for young Matthew and the pair underwent surgery on Monday.
The Riverside County Sheriff's Department posted a photo Tuesday of a sleeping Matthew and his mother Angelina, with a message that "the transplant surgery went well and both Alicia and Matthew are currently in recovery. On behalf of the Castleberry and Lopez families, we thank you for all your thoughts and prayers and ask that you keep them coming!"
