Gift of Life: A Son’s Kidney Donation and a Family’s Triumph
By: Jason Cabbiness and Taylor Sandoval
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Charles Williams, Inspection Review Specialist, Senior, manages the group of contract inspectors for PG&E’s Transmission Aerial team. Married 18 years to his high-school sweetheart, Laura, and father of five, Charles recalls the day he learned his father’s kidney was beginning to fail—a diagnosis that shook him more than any deployment he’d served during his military career.
Dan Williams, Charles’ father, fell ill at age 12 with unexplained fevers. Dan’s father insisted that they remain at the small Southern California hospital until doctors found an answer. It turned out that Dan’s kidney had ruptured and was failing. Two weeks later, surgeons removed the damaged kidney – a critical operation that allowed Dan to live with one functioning kidney and enjoy four decades of health.
Around 2006, Dan’s kidney began to fail. By 2007, his renal function had fallen to 13 percent, and he started dialysis three times a week. His children offered to donate a kidney, but Dan was adamant about not accepting one in case his kids or grandchildren needed one. He was put on the transplant list but was later removed when doctors concluded he likely wouldn’t survive the surgery.
For seven years, Gail Williams, Dan’s wife and Charles’ mom, transformed their home into a six-day-a-week dialysis clinic—learning to operate the machine, managing deliveries of 60-liter fluid boxes and juggling her mail-carrier job to maintain the family’s benefits and income. “I’m here today because of her,” Dan says, crediting Gail’s unwavering care for his survival. Meanwhile, Dan continued to refuse his children’s continuing offer to donate their kidneys.
When Dan was reinstated on the recipient list in late 2013 – after losing enough weight to meet the transplant center’s eligibility criteria and improved health – Charles (then serving in the military) took leave and shared letters written by his commanding officers assuring Dan that Charles giving his kidney would not affect his military benefits or standing. In those same letters he wrote to his father, explaining that he wasn’t asking Dan to accept a kidney for his father’s sake, but that Dan do it for Charles and for the entire Williams family. Finally persuaded, Dan agreed to let Charles be tested, who proved to be a match. The family planned surgery at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco.
On the morning of the operation, doctors discovered that Dan’s blood would not clot properly and canceled the procedure. Dejected, the family took a three-hour drive home, “We felt like we’d failed at the finish line,” Charles said. As they pulled into their driveway, they received a call from the hospital with the news that doctors had found a medication to correct the clotting issue and were ready to reschedule the transplant. One week later, with his father’s medication regimen adjusted and the full support of family members who had traveled from across the state, the surgery went forward.
Eleven years post-op as of September 16, 2025, Dan thrives on the gift of Charles’ kidney and a heart repaired during pre-op scans. Charles said, “God had a hand in this process. A lot of prayer, listening and trust goes to every member of the family. I know God blessed me to keep Dad around a little longer. He is the strongest and most selfless person I know.”
More than 100,000 Americans await organ transplants, and seventeen die each day. To honor donors and support families like the Williams’, join the 15th Annual Stride for Hope Run/Walk sponsored by Donor Network West and proudly supported by PG&E.
As PG&E coworkers, we are deeply committed to Leading with Love and empathy – values that guide our work and connections to the hometowns we serve. This event is a powerful opportunity to walk alongside those affected by organ donation, celebrate the gift of life, and stand together in our commitment that Everyone and everything is always safe.
Sign up here. Cannot join in person? Join our virtual fundraiser and help us cross the finish line for hope.