upworthy

organ donation

Education

Teacher donates kidney to a first-grade student so that she can "lead a normal life"

"We gave her a gift box, and under the tissue paper was a card with the words: 'It's a match."

Photo pulled from YouTube video

Natasha has rare condition and needs a kidney.

“You could never tell this little girl has three tubes in her."

Natasha Fuller is just 8 years old, but her grandmother, Chris Burleton, told the Fond du Lac Reporter that she doesn't let her medical condition faze her. “She is happy and sassy, and she just wants to lead a normal life, and do things like go swimming.”

Natasha was born with a rare abdominal muscle condition called Eagle-Barrett Syndrome, or "prune belly syndrome." Among other things, this means that her eight years of life so far have been plagued by urinary tract complications. She lives with her grandparents in Oakfield, Wisconsin — some 400 miles away from her parents and twin sister in Oklahoma — where it's easier to see the doctor, including thrice-weekly trips to the hospital for kidney dialysis.

But in the fall of 2015, doctors said if she didn't get a transplant, Natasha would die.

She had been waiting years to get a new kidney. But every time her name came up on the transplant list, she was already dealing with other kidney infections that would make the surgery impossible. So each time, she was bumped back to the bottom of the list.

uplifting, donor, child, rare condition

Jodi sits with Natasha, a first-grader in desperate need of a kidney transplant.

Photo pulled from YouTube video

That's when her first-grade teacher, Jodi Schmidt, was inspired to do something radical.

Jodi had only known Natasha since the start of the school year, and though she clearly cared about the girl, she couldn't quite articulate where the idea came from. All she knew was she was suddenly so overwhelmed that she had to pull the car over and call her husband.

"I told him, 'Rich, I want to give a student one of my kidneys,'" she told USA Today.

Jodi went through all the proper tests to make sure that she was a donor match for Natasha before she even shared her plan with anyone else. She checked with her principal, Becky Doyle, to see if she could take off the 8 weeks of recovery time, and confirmed with the hospital that her kidney would be used for Natasha and no one else.

Then she called Natasha's grandmother in for a special conference at the school.

Natasha's grandmother assumed that she was going in to speak about her granddaughter's grades or to address some concerns about her failing health, according to USA Today. Instead, she was greeted with a gift.

"We gave her a gift box, and under the tissue paper was a card with the words: 'It's a match,'" she explained.

education, teachers, inspiration, desperation

Grandma finds out Jodi is a donor match for Natasha.

Photo pulled from YouTube video

"I have had some really good days in my life, and that was probably one of the best," Jodi said after seeing the family's reaction. "I think that life takes us on very different paths, and I now have no doubt I was brought to Oakfield for a reason."

community, kindness, child, health

Jodi teaches her first-grade class.

Photo pulled from YouTube video

Teachers make amazing sacrifices for students every day — and Jodi's gift to Natasha is simply one of the most extraordinary.

In the meantime, you can warm your own heart with the full donor revelation video below — and let's all hope that Natasha and Jodi both have a speedy recovery after their surgeries in April!

This article originally appeared on 03.30.16

From Your Site Articles

People are becoming organ donors in droves thanks to this heroic hockey player.

Logan Boulet was one of the Canadian hockey players who passed away after a horrific bus accident.

The Humboldt Broncos' team bus collided with a semi-truck traveling to a play-off game in central Saskatchewan on Friday, April 6. 15 people, including the bus driver, team coach, and several players — were killed.

Just a few weeks ago, on his 21st birthday, Boulet made a heroic decision. He signed up to be an organ donor.

[rebelmouse-image 19398079 dam="1" original_size="750x386" caption="Image via The National/YouTube." expand=1]Image via The National/YouTube.

The decision saved lives.

In a heartbreaking but hopeful Facebook post, Boulet's godfather detailed how Boulet's decision made a difference.

"[Boulet] is a great hero and one of the nicest people you would have been lucky enough to meet," Neil Langevin wrote. "Logan had made it known, and very clear to his family, that he had signed his organ donor card when he turned 21 just a few weeks ago."

According to Langevin, six people in need will receive organ transplants from Boulet.

As with many families across the globe our house is devastated with the news about the Humboldt Broncos. Our great...

Posted by Neil Langevin on Saturday, April 7, 2018

Boulet's parents confirmed the positive matches for six of their son's organs to Global News on Saturday. "Even in his eventual passing, he will be a selfless hero," they said in a statement.

A hero whose generosity may save many more lives down the road.

Boulet's selfless act appears to have inspired many to follow his lead, as organ donor sign-ups surged across Canada.

According to a spokesperson for Alberta Health Minister Sarah Hoffman, the province saw a "significant increase" in organ donor registrations over the weekend, the Calgary Herald reported. Nearly 900 people registered between Sunday and Monday — over double the number those days of the week typically see on average. Similar spikes in sign-ups were reported in British Columbia and Ontario, according to CBC News.

Some used social media to express how Boulet inspired them to act. "Never thought a junior hockey player in Saskatchewan named Logan Boulet would motivate me to finally become an organ donor," Jeff Vallance of Alberta wrote on Twitter. "He saved 6 lives. Took 4 minutes. You can do it as well."

For many Canadians on an organ transplant waiting list, the increase is an encouraging sign.

While almost all Canadians support the cause of organ donation, just 20% of the country is actually registered as donors. In a country where 4,500 people are waiting on life-saving organs, the surge in sign-ups is welcome.

Americans waiting on the organ transplant list face a similar predicament. More than 116,000 people are waiting on an organ transplant in the U.S., according to the Department of Health and Human Services. More registrations now will save lives in the months and years to come.

Watch a report on Boulet's story from the CBC's The National below:

To learn more about becoming an organ donor in the U.S., visit the Department of Health and Human Services website.

Watch Selena Gomez dedicate an award to the friend who saved her life.

More than 116,000 people are currently waiting for an organ transplant.

Earlier this year, when Selena Gomez needed a kidney transplant, one of her friends came through with a life-saving donation.

Actress Francia Raisa was starring on ABC Family's "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" when she met Gomez during a children's hospital event in 2007, and they have remained close friends ever since. In 2013, Gomez underwent chemotherapy to treat lupus, something she went public with two years later. As a result of her illness and treatment, Gomez needed a new kidney.

Naturally, Raisa offered one of hers.

It was a heartwarming story that epitomizes #FriendshipGoals.

I’m very aware some of my fans had noticed I was laying low for part of the summer and questioning why I wasn’t promoting my new music, which I was extremely proud of. So I found out I needed to get a kidney transplant due to my Lupus and was recovering. It was what I needed to do for my overall health. I honestly look forward to sharing with you, soon my journey through these past several months as I have always wanted to do with you. Until then I want to publicly thank my family and incredible team of doctors for everything they have done for me prior to and post-surgery. And finally, there aren’t words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa. She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me. I am incredibly blessed. I love you so much sis. Lupus continues to be very misunderstood but progress is being made. For more information regarding Lupus please go to the Lupus Research Alliance website: www.lupusresearch.org/ -by grace through faith

A post shared by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) on

This week, Billboard honored Gomez with its Woman of the Year award. Tearing up as she accepted it, she gave a powerful shoutout to Raisa.

"To be honest, I think Francia should get this award because she saved my life," she said, trying not to cry. It was a really emotional moment, for Gomez, for Raisa, and for everyone watching at home and in the audience.

Selena Gomez Woman of the Year Speech

"Francia should get this award. She saved my life." - Selena Gomez#womeninmusic

Posted by Billboard on Thursday, November 30, 2017

More than 80% of the more than 116,000 people currently on the organ transplant waiting list need a new kidney.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a new person is added to the waiting list every 10 minutes. As just 0.3% of people die in a way that allows for their organs to be transplanted after death, living donors are necessary — though it's still important to register as an organ donor.

It's why having a friend like Raisa, someone so selfless and giving, is a true blessing.

Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Billboard.

Learn more about how you can help change a life by visiting The National Kidney Foundation's "The Big Ask, The Big Give" website.

From Your Site Articles
Heroes

His grandson needed a kidney. And to save him, he gave his kidney to someone else.

True
SoCal Honda Dealers

Retired judge Howard Broadman helped his grandson get a kidney in the future — and he didn't even need time travel to do it.

He did have to make an incredibly generous move, though.

Three years ago, he donated one of his kidneys — not to his beloved grandson, but to a total stranger. Yep. You read that right. A stranger.

[rebelmouse-image 19533226 dam="1" original_size="1024x757" caption="Image via UCLA Health." expand=1]Image via UCLA Health.

You see, Broadman's grandson is Quinn, a little boy born with only one kidney — one kidney that isn't fully functioning. Broadman may be too old to donate by the time Quinn needs a transplant.

At first, he considered donating to a complete stranger anyway. He'd join the list of living donors fittingly called “altruistic donors” and hope for karma to come back around and help Quinn in the future.  

Instead, he came up with a brilliant idea.

That stranger he donated his kidney to? Her name is Kathy DeGrandis. And her sister (who hadn't previously donated because she wasn't compatible with Kathy), donated to a stranger, whose family donated to someone else.

How does this lead back to Quinn? Well, thanks to his grandfather’s innovative thinking, Quinn gets a voucher for that kidney he might need in the future.

“I didn't know anything about kidney donations or anything like that,” Broadman says. But learning that his grandson's life was on the line got him thinking.

He realized that the supply of donated kidneys doesn't even come close to keeping up with the number of people who need them.

To get a transplant in the future, Quinn would have to join a list that's currently over 100,000 people long, according to the National Kidney Foundation.

It's a disturbing wait, with only about 18,000 transplants taking place every year.

That’s why Broadman brought his simple idea to medical professionals at UCLA. He proposed that he’d donate a kidney to a stranger now, and Quinn would get a voucher for a kidney in the future.

And, in the end, he wouldn’t only save one stranger’s life.

Now, his simple proposal is touching more and more strangers' lives every year.

The UCLA Kidney Voucher Program, in association with the National Kidney Registry, connects patients in a sort of paying-it-forward system that Broadman describes as “a geometric progression of goodness.”

How it works: Someone like Broadman has a kidney to give and a loved one in need, but an obstacle like time stands in the way of a direct donation.

So they donate to a stranger. Then their loved one (like the Lego-loving, soccer-playing, joyful kindergartner named Quinn) gets a voucher to become a high priority recipient when an appropriate match becomes available.

[rebelmouse-image 19533227 dam="1" original_size="2448x2783" caption="Image via UCLA Health." expand=1]Image via UCLA Health.

The initial response to Broadman’s idea? Medical professionals told him that “nobody's ever wanted to do that before,” he says.

But he was ready to be the first, and a unique exchange program was born.

Since its inception at UCLA, at least 30 hospitals now have this program, and studies show that it's making a real difference.

Right now, only about 6,000 donations a year come from the most effective donors — living donors.

This voucher program is already increasing those numbers. So far, donation chains have led to 68 transplants and 21 vouchers issued to patients in need. People who aren't compatible with their loved ones can donate to help them anyway.

[rebelmouse-image 19533228 dam="1" original_size="1024x723" caption="Image via UCLA Health." expand=1]Image via UCLA Health.

“Sometimes you need to break out of your pattern, look at things from a different viewpoint,” Broadman suggests. This program, he says, is his “small gift to the universe.”

He pulls no punches in admitting that donating a kidney is a painful procedure. But he’ll tell you that it's worth it to give a fighting chance to someone — like that adorable youngster Quinn, or your own loved one.

“It's my best legacy. I don't know any gift better,” Broadman says as his voice cracks. “It's pretty powerful.”

Inspired? Learn more about the UCLA Kidney Voucher Program.

From Your Site Articles
Trending Stories