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Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders to undergo kidney transplant

Sep 30, 2017 | 12:30 AM

Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders is scheduled to undergo a kidney transplant operation on Monday, and the donor organ is being provided by his wife Stacey.

Saunders told CTV News on Friday that he was diagnosed with kidney disease in the 1990s, that his only remaining kidney is failing, and that he has to undergo life-saving dialysis for seven hours every night.

Many people, including Toronto Mayor John Tory, have taken to social media to wish both the chief and his wife speedy recoveries from the surgery.

The mayor tweeted Friday that “Battling kidney disease while serving as chief of police could not have been easy. It is a testament to the chief’s strength and determination.”

Toronto Police Service spokesman Mark Pugash said it wasn’t clear how long Saunders would be absent from his post, adding that Deputy Chief James Ramer will serve as acting chief in the interim.

The Canadian Press