Bond of Brothers '97

Chris Connelly was in seemingly good health until the fall of 2015, when he started to gradually gain weight and his legs were swollen for no apparent reason. During a visit to West Point, walking post with his wife and son, he was gasping for air and nauseous. Blood tests showed high creatine levels indicating kidney damage or disease. After an emergency incident, Chris learned he had complete kidney failure. Unfortunately, his parents and two sisters were medically ineligible to donate to Chris. Two classmates suggested posting on the class’s closed Facebook page about living organ donation. Chris opposed, being his class had been through so much in Iraq and Afghanistan, but his classmates posted it anyway. Classmate Air Force Colonel Dave Ashley answered the call, with full support from his wife and chain of command. Full Story