Anthony Daniels is on the mend—ahead of schedule, actually—following kidney transplant surgery, and now the questions have started.
Daniels joined the Alabama Politics This Week podcast to discuss his ongoing recovery—along with that of his wife, who donated her kidney to him—and to talk about the ongoing search for what led to his kidney failure. Daniels also talked about the support he received from his colleagues—both Republicans and Democrats—during his illness.
“We’re looking into it now—trying to determine what happened or if something could have been or should have been spotted earlier that could have prevented this—and I have to tell you that right now, no one can really tell me what it is, what happened,” Daniels said. “We think it could be COVID-related, or possibly even related to the COVID vaccine. The truth is, we don’t know.
“But going through something like this really opens your eyes to the care and the good things around you. I had so many people check in on me—people from both sides of the aisle—and it teaches you a lesson that underneath all of the vitriol and the disagreements, there’s still care there for each other. It can still be there.”
Daniels said he owes a huge debt to Representative A.J. McCampbell, who, along with House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, after noticing Daniels’ fatigue at the start of the 2025 Legislative Session, pushed him to initially go to the doctor in Montgomery and undergo a physical. That’s when he first received a report of surprisingly low kidney function.
From there, over the next few weeks, a surreal experience unfolded, as doctors told Daniels that he was in the midst of kidney failure for no discernible reason. Daniels said he undergoes at least an annual physical and typically has bloodwork done twice per year, and yet there was no indication from any primary care physician that his kidneys were in trouble.
There’s no history of drug use, no alcohol consumption and no underlying conditions that would have brought about such a sudden slide.
“That’s one reason we’re studying this so hard, because I can promise you that no doctor ever told me about anything, never said I should be concerned,” Daniels said. “Maybe that’s due to missing a minor sign because they weren’t necessarily looking for this. But I want to get to the bottom of it.”
For now, though, Daniels and his wife, Dr. Teneshia Daniels, are back home and recovering. Both are ahead of schedule, but Anthony, as expected, is a bit ahead. He said the recovery is easier for the recipient than the donor, because the recipient doesn’t lose an organ.
That’s right, Daniels now has three kidneys.
“I’d say 99 percent of people have no idea that’s how it works—that they put in the new kidney with the old kidneys,” Daniels said. “I didn’t know it. But yes, I have those old kidneys functioning at whatever level they’re functioning at and a new kidney picking up the rest.”
He’s jogging now up to five or six miles per day and trying to prevent the steroids and anti-rejection meds from stacking on the pounds. He’s also getting back into the swing of politics, working with the Democrats and giving his Republican colleagues a hard time.
To hear more about Daniels’ ordeal, including his thoughts on COVID being behind the problems, go to the Alabama Politics This Week podcast webpage. You can also subscribe for free on the usual podcast platforms.
