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Christ Church founder to receive kidney in the new year
By LAUREN HODGES
Dr. Dan Hannon, senior pastor and founder of Christ Church United Methodist was born with only one kidney. After years of luck he contracted renal cell carcinoma in 2006.
Hannon said the aggressive disease was caught after an ultrasound for heartburn.
“They discovered a swollen kidney,” he said. “The doctor called it God’s cancer because only God knows you had it.”
Although renal cell cancer is difficult to detect, Hannon said he was lucky they caught it in the early stages.
Hannon has waited two years to become cancer-free to be eligible for a donor, which is a requirement from the National Kidney Register. During this time he continued to preach while receiving dialysis treatments three times a week for four-hour sessions.
He said the purpose of the dialysis is to remove the toxins and poisons in order to sustain life. Hannon said while it is not a good substitute for a kidney he still feels blessed to have the gift of life.
“You can function with one kidney,” Hannon said. “I knew I only had one. I knew if you had any problems, I didn’t have a spare.”
Last summer his name was added to the transplant list and after testing found his sister was a near perfect match.
“She is the real hero,” Hannon said. “She is I would say passionate about this. That is what has been so humbling for me is that she feels pretty called to do this.”
Dan and his sister Shelley Hannon went under the knife together Jan. 6 at Methodist Hospital in downtown Houston. The two surgeries were simultaneous. Shelley went first and after two hours the kidney was moved to Dan.
Dan will take a leave of absence from the church he founded with his wife in 1991. He will return in mid-February pending his recovery pace.
“It has deepened my spiritual faith and I think it has enabled me to understand more how to relate to people who are hurting and suffering,” Dan said. “That has been my prayer that God would use this somehow.”
Dr. Dan Hannon
Age: 52
Residence: The Woodlands
Occupation: senior pastor
Family: wife and adult son Danny and Daughter-in-law Jenny
Fact: born with one kidney
His words: “It has deepened my spiritual faith and I think it has enabled me to understand more how to relate to people who are hurting and suffering. That has been my prayer that God would use this somehow.”
Hannon said the aggressive disease was caught after an ultrasound for heartburn.
“They discovered a swollen kidney,” he said. “The doctor called it God’s cancer because only God knows you had it.”
Although renal cell cancer is difficult to detect, Hannon said he was lucky they caught it in the early stages.
Hannon has waited two years to become cancer-free to be eligible for a donor, which is a requirement from the National Kidney Register. During this time he continued to preach while receiving dialysis treatments three times a week for four-hour sessions.
He said the purpose of the dialysis is to remove the toxins and poisons in order to sustain life. Hannon said while it is not a good substitute for a kidney he still feels blessed to have the gift of life.
“You can function with one kidney,” Hannon said. “I knew I only had one. I knew if you had any problems, I didn’t have a spare.”
Last summer his name was added to the transplant list and after testing found his sister was a near perfect match.
“She is the real hero,” Hannon said. “She is I would say passionate about this. That is what has been so humbling for me is that she feels pretty called to do this.”
Dan and his sister Shelley Hannon went under the knife together Jan. 6 at Methodist Hospital in downtown Houston. The two surgeries were simultaneous. Shelley went first and after two hours the kidney was moved to Dan.
Dan will take a leave of absence from the church he founded with his wife in 1991. He will return in mid-February pending his recovery pace.
“It has deepened my spiritual faith and I think it has enabled me to understand more how to relate to people who are hurting and suffering,” Dan said. “That has been my prayer that God would use this somehow.”
Dr. Dan Hannon
Age: 52
Residence: The Woodlands
Occupation: senior pastor
Family: wife and adult son Danny and Daughter-in-law Jenny
Fact: born with one kidney
His words: “It has deepened my spiritual faith and I think it has enabled me to understand more how to relate to people who are hurting and suffering. That has been my prayer that God would use this somehow.”
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