New Canaan Police Officer Clinton Jarvis Is Seeking a Kidney Donor

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Eight years ago, New Canaan Police Officer Clinton Jarvis went to the hospital for an allergic reaction. He woke up two hours later with a second diagnosis.

Doctors had noticed something in the scans: cysts covering both kidneys, consistent with Polycystic Kidney Disease. He was 35 years old.

“I didn’t know that’s what it is,” Jarvis said. “Turns out it’s hereditary. My uncles, my grandfather, my father have all had it. They’ve all had kidney transplants at some point.”

One of them, his uncle Vinny, did not survive. The transplant did not take, and he passed away around 50.

“He’s the one that scared me the most,” Jarvis said.

Now 44, Jarvis is down to 12% kidney function across both kidneys, a number that has been dropping about three percent every three months. A healthy adult typically functions at 90 percent or above. At his next appointment in August, he expects it may be at nine percent.

Polycystic Kidney Disease causes cysts to form across the surface of the kidneys, eventually overtaking their ability to filter toxins from the body. Jarvis described the sensation as constant bloating.

“My midsection feels like I ate a lot of food,” he said. “That’s how I feel because the kidneys are growing inside, outgrowing even the space they’re supposed to be in.”

The disease also causes dangerously high blood pressure. Without medication, Jarvis said his blood pressure can reach 210 over 160, well into heart attack and stroke territory.

“Every day I’m looking at things,” he said. “When I get a headache, I can’t just say, oh, I just got a headache. I have to check my blood pressure. I’ve had back pain the last three days, and I don’t know if that’s just me getting older or if it’s the kidneys.”

If a donor is not found, dialysis becomes the likely next step. Jarvis watched his father go through the process for two to three years before receiving a kidney about five years ago.

“He had to be on dialysis nine hours a day,” Jarvis said. “A straight nine hours. You can’t even take a break. And then he would be tired after, or feel sick after. You can’t go swimming, you can’t do certain activities, and then you have to make sure you’re near the right facility at all times.”

Going public with his situation was not an easy decision, Jarvis said.

“I’m a private person,” he said. “A lot of the guys here didn’t even know I’ve been dealing with this the last few years because I just don’t want to be looked at differently.”

His doctor and his fiancee ultimately convinced him that going public was the best path forward and would bring the highest chances of finding a donor.

Part of what he hopes people take away is how the donation process actually works. A prospective donor starts by contacting the kidney donor organization, providing their information and being guided through the rest. The process includes blood work, a 24-hour urine test, a full medical background check and a meeting with a therapist to confirm the decision is being made voluntarily and without any financial incentive. The entire process is fully covered by the hospital, at no cost to the donor, and a person can stop at any point without penalty.

“You’re getting a full workup of your body that might otherwise cost a lot of money,” he said. “And you’re not locked in. You can go through the process and decide at any point that you don’t want to do it anymore. There’s no charge.”

Jarvis also wants people to know that even those who are not a blood type match can still help. Through a paired donation program, if someone tests on his behalf and turns out not to be a match, they can choose to donate to another patient who is, and because they came forward on Jarvis’s behalf, he moves up on the transplant waiting list.

“Me doing this doesn’t just help me,” he said. “It helps other people.”

The benefits can go beyond the donor and Jarvis, too. One person who tested turned out not to be a match but discovered a potentially cancerous issue they never would have caught at a routine checkup.

“If they didn’t test, they never would have found that,” Jarvis said.

To find out how to get tested, visit nkr.org/SZC426.

Outside of his health situation, life looks much as it always has. Jarvis lives in Shelton, is engaged, and has a 14 year old daughter and a 13 year old son.

“No matter how I feel, I show different when I’m with them, because I don’t want them stressing,” he said.

He grew up in Bridgeport and said he wanted to be a police officer since he was 11 years old. He joined the Bridgeport Police Department in 2011 and worked there for five years before an uncle already serving at NCPD convinced him to come over. He has been with New Canaan for 11 years, working as a patrolman.

“We do patrol, we do dispatch, we’re EMTs,” Jarvis said. “If you call 911, I might be the person answering the phone and sending the guys out, or I’m one of the guys going. I’m a therapist, a parent, a problem solver.”

He said he plans to keep doing the job.

“You get a front-row seat to the best show in the world,” he said. “Helping one person reminds you why you do this.”

Jarvis said he has been moved by the response from the community since going public.

“Thank you for all the appreciation and the support,” he said. “There have been a lot of prayers and well wishes. But I’m strong. I’ve been through a lot. I’m positive about the end result.”

His message to anyone considering getting tested was simple.

“Please get tested,” he said. “Not just for me. You might find out something about yourself that you wouldn’t have caught otherwise. Helps you. Helps me. Helps someone else.”

New Canaan Police Chief John DiFederico said the department stands behind Jarvis as he navigates his diagnosis and search for a donor.

“Officer Jarvis has shown remarkable resilience, determination and an unwavering commitment to serving the New Canaan community,” DiFederico said. “Despite the many obstacles he faces, he continues to perform his duties as a New Canaan Police Officer. By sharing Officer Jarvis’s story, we hope to raise awareness about living kidney donations and the urgent need faced by so many individuals like Officer Jarvis. Just sharing this message could help find a donor.”

To find out about becoming a living kidney donor on behalf of Officer Jarvis, visit The National Kidney Registry.