Jasper Police Chief Tim GrahamJASPER, Tenn. -- After receiving a much-needed kidney transplant almost two months ago, Jasper Police Chief Tim Graham is itching to return to his job.
"I've gotten a bunch of cards and calls, and it really makes you feel good," Graham said. "I'm still out of service, but I'm begging the doctors to [let me] come back to work."
After asking his doctors if he could return to work a couple of weeks ago, he wasn't told "no," and Graham said that was definitely "a good sign" he would be back at work soon.
"I'm way ahead of schedule on everything," he said.
Officials said Graham had 31 staples removed on Sept. 12, and he had lost about 20 pounds since the surgery.
"His kidney is functioning to perfection," Mayor Billy Simpson said. "He looks great. He feels great and is building his energy back up. You just couldn't ask for him to be doing any better."
The donor kidney came from a 19-year-old girl, officials said, and Simpson described it as "a perfect match."
Officials said only a select few knew how desperate Graham's situation had become.
"Tim was down pretty bad," Simpson said in September. "He'd just about given up, and then he got the call. He was the happiest man I'd ever talked to in my life."
The recovery process has been helped because the officers under his command are doing such a good job in his absence, Graham said.
"I've got a good group that works for me," he said. "They stay in contact with me daily. It makes me feel good because I've got a group of officers that take pride in their work. Everything is going pretty smooth for us right now."
Graham said he wanted to thank everyone for their prayers and all they had done for him during his recovery.
"It just means a lot to you when you're down for the count," he said.
Ryan Lewis is based in Marion County. Contact him at ryanlewis34@gmail.com.