Special Agents Noel Gleason & Shannon Croom
U.S. Capitol Police Special Agent Noel Gleason had lived relatively well for about 20 years with primary sclerosing cholangitis, a progressive liver disease that can lead to liver failure. But on May 20, 2008 the smooth ride came to a screeching halt. Noel was hospitalized with internal bleeding and learned that he needed a liver transplant to survive. Noel's brother and sister immediately went for testing as living donors, but neither was a match, bad news that arrived at the same time. "I don't even remember driving home that day," Noel recalled. "We had gotten so far ahead in our thinking that my siblings would be a match, we hadn't considered what we'd do if they weren’t."
While Noel and his wife Patti were coming to terms with their circumstances, the phone rang. It was U.S. Capitol Police Special Agent Shannon Croom calling to say he had contacted Georgetown University Medical Center and was going in to be tested as a donor. "Until then I never realized a person could donate their liver," he recalled. "Noel was someone I looked up to, and I knew he would do the same thing for me, so I didn't hesitate." Although a long line of U.S. Capitol Police officers also signed up to donate, it never came to that. On July 9, 2008, Shannon was cleared as a donor. The call to tell Noel, Shannon remembered, "was probably the best one I ever made."
By that time, Noel's condition had deteriorated and he was no longer able to work. Though elated, his feet were firmly on the ground. "There were lots of nights when I couldn't sleep. I'd just sit thinking of what would happen if it didn't work out. It was never a sure thing that I'd survive," he said. Meanwhile, reality set-in for Shannon, too. "It's definitely a tough surgery. You're taking a completely healthy person and making them sick by risk of complications. But the more research I did, the more I felt everything would fall into place."
On July 31, the two men went to surgery. Shannon gave 60 percent of his liver, effectively saving Noel's life. Shannon returned to full duty on September 15, 2008; Noel on May 4, 2009. More than a year after the transplant, the two officers are able to reflect on all that has transpired. "I came back from a real challenge, but Shannon is the one who really stepped up," Noel said. "In law enforcement, we're continually watching out for each other, and have to do so in a split-second. But Shannon had time to think about this, and that means all the world to me." For his part, Shannon observed that "I knew Noel would help anyone he could, but this was a time he had to take a step back and let someone help him. Someone had to do it, and I was happy to."
The determination of one to keep going despite long odds and the complete self-sacrifice of the other reflect the character of both Noel and Shannon, according to Supervisory Special Agent Raymond Stonestreet, who nominated them for the Theodore Roosevelt® Police Award. "They're exceptional individuals in their work ethic, dedication to their jobs, and dedication to each other. It's a sight to see."