An admirable teacher donates a kidney to one of her young students upon learning she is a match, and the story makes headlines. The video of Jodi Schmidt, an elementary teacher in Wisconsin, announcing her selfless decision to Natasha Fuller and her family has gone viral.
Here is a story that will have you saying, time to put down these tear-provoking onions – a teacher donates a kidney to a young student hoping she will live a long and healthy life.
This week, Jodi Schmidt, a teacher at the Oakfield Elementary School District in Wisconsin, discovered that she could save one of her students’ lives.
The heroic first-grade teacher, who learned that Natasha Fuller was born with kidney disease and only survives with dialysis, got in touch with a local hospital back in December to find out if she could be a donor.
After learning that she can provide the 8-year-old with a kidney transplant, the teacher came up with a ruse to surprise the Fuller family with the big life-changing news.
With the help of local media, school staff members, Schmidt invited Natasha’s grandmother, Chris Burelton, to the Oakfield Elementary by telling her that they wanted to give her a gift for taking care of her granddaughter. She presented Burelton with a pink present with a message inside that she was a match to be a kidney donor for Natasha. Burelton burst into tears and said:
“You? Oh my gosh!Here I thought she was coming to school because she was naughty!”
Oakfield Elementary School Principal Becky Doyle explained that Schmidt started the process in December and had just recently found out she was a match to be a donor for Natasha. Doyle told the reporter:
“I want to do something for this child. She found out yesterday that she’s a match in two areas. She has talked with her family and her husband.”
Schmidt said she felt she was the right person to donate. She added:
“I’m so excited. I figured I’m O-negative blood and it did just come to me. I think we’re all brought to a certain place and time for a reason.”
Jodi’s husband, Richard, confessed that he was “probably more nervous about it than she is.” He revealed how his spouse broke the news to him:
“I was probably getting supper ready for the kids or something and she called and said ‘Hey, I think I want to donate a kidney’. And I’m like ‘OK, let’s back it up a little bit.'”
While Natasha did not fully understand what a donation is, she hugged and thanked her courageous teacher for the gift. The child, who is eager to do some very simple yet fun things, said:
“I can’t jump. I can’t run. I can’t do hula-hoops, and I can’t do jump-roping. Sometimes some people don’t have a match for you. And sometimes you try to look for a match but you can’t find one.”
The transplant could take place in about a month, and the young student plans to share a Popsicle with her wonderful teacher after the surgeries.
