BOLO: CofC Public Safety Captain on the Watch for Kidney Donor

At home, he’s known as Grill Daddy. At work in the College of Charleston Department of Public Safety, he’s Captain Lamar Williams, the person responsible for safety plans for large events, educating students about on-campus safety and – with the help of his wife, Corporal Moneke Williams – recruiting new public safety personnel to the department. 

He’s remained on the job throughout a multiyear battle with kidney cancer, including two kidney removal surgeries and daily dialysis.

“I take a lot of pride in the lack of disruption to public safety services on campus while I’ve been dealing with all of this,” says the special service/operations captain, a 14-year veteran of the College’s police force, whose remarkable story was recently featured on Live 5 News. 

Indeed, what Williams describes as an innate disciplined character has served him well.

“I’ve learned to adjust,” he says, referring to his initial kidney cancer diagnosis and removal of his left kidney in the fall of 2022, and the cancer’s reemergence that resulted in his right kidney being removed in late 2024.  

While recent medical scans confirm he is now cancer free, without kidneys to flush toxins from his body, Williams must undergo daily dialysis to stay alive.

“Chief (Chip) Searson and the College have been a huge help with all of this,” says Williams, giving additional credit to his wife, who works by his side. 

At home, Williams continues to work the grill and spend quality time with his wife and two children. At work, he relishes watching students learn and grow.

“Our contact with students is not always their best moment in life,” he says. “But when I see them graduate, more often than not, they thank us. It’s gratifying.”  

Williams is on the list to find a match and receive a kidney at the Medical University of South Carolina and will be added to the list in Lancaster, South Carolina, this month. After that, he has plans to join the donor list in Augusta, Georgia.

In the meantime, Williams remains positive.

“My prayers have already been answered. I’m blessed beyond measure to be able to tell my story and hopefully help others in the same situation,” says Williams, who himself signed up to be an organ donor as soon as was old enough to get a driver’s license. “You’ll never get a ‘woe is me’ story out of me.” 

Those interested in exploring matching and donating to Williams and others can contact a member of the Living Donor Program at MUSC.

Note that South Carolina state employees get 30 days of organ donation leave.