Retired Montgomery firefighter needs kidney donation

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - After a 23-year career of helping others, a retired Montgomery fireman is now asking the public for help.

After suffering with renal disease for many years, 62-year-old Alan Milam is hoping to find a kidney donor before being forced to start dialysis.

“The Lord’s got it,” Milam said. “He’s got the kidney thing under control too.”

Milam has been suffering from kidney failure for more than 15 years. At last check he was at 15% kidney function. He’s gone through steroid therapy, immune suppression and other treatments, all of which have had negative side effects.

“The main thing is, like I said, is joint pain, itching and fatigue,” he said.

Milam said he’s been on the transplant waiting list at hospitals in Birmingham and Atlanta for nearly a year. The average wait time for a kidney for his blood type,Type O-positive, is 5-10 years.

“My goal is to try to get a transplant and not have to go on dialysis,” he said.

Ideally, he needs a kidney from a living donor. Due to medical reasons, no one in his family is able to help donate.

“Whenever the time is right, I know I’ll get a kidney, but I want to be able to take care of (his wife), and I want to be able to spend time with my grandkids,” he said.

Milam holds his wife, Marie Milam, of nearly 39 years close. The two are both facing their own health battles. Marie Milam has been battling stage 4 colon cancer since September 2020.

“I’ve been doing chemo and various treatments since then and I was not getting any results. My cancer has continued to grow,” Marie Milam said. “That’s just where we are, but I want to be well enough to help him when he gets a kidney.”

After serving the community with the Montgomery fire department for decades, he’s now hoping someone will find it in their heart to help him.

“If you’re willing to donate, whether it’s for me or somebody else that needs one, please check it out and see if you can go be a donor,” Milam said.

If you would be interested in donating a kidney to Milam you can call UAB Medical Center at 833-822-2841 or the Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta at 404-605-2950. He is also on the National Kidney Registry website.

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