Math teacher to donate kidney to his student with rare disorder
A high school teacher is making an impact on a lasting impact on a student that will literally save his life.
Eddie McCarthy, a teacher at Whitmer High School in Toledo, Ohio, is set to donate a kidney to his student Roman McCormick, 15, this week.
Roman was born with branchiootorenal/branchiootic (BOR/BO) syndrome, a ‘rare genetic condition that can affect the growth and development of the neck’, ears and kidneys, according to the National Kidney Foundation.
The condition makes the Roman feel extremely tired.
‘I’m not able to eat foods that most normal kids will be able to,’ the high school sophomore told ABC News’ Good Morning America on Friday. ‘I’m not able to be more active because (my) kidneys are slowing down my physical activity.’
Roman had surgery to correct a hole in his chest and two holes in the sides of his ears, his mother Jamie Redd told the news show. Roman’s condition worsened and he was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney disease, and his parents began searching for a donor before it appears he would need dialysis.
McCarthy, who taught Roman geometry last year, found out about Roman’s condition in February.
‘I think the story was just going around, maybe on Facebook or something and maybe one of my friends might have texted me like, “Hey, this is your student.” So I saw that,’ McCarthy told Good Morning America.
‘And then the next day, or maybe a day after that, I went and got tested. We were matched there and then I just kept going back up to the hospital and doing all the tests that you have to do, and I kept coming back healthy, and it was shown that I’m a match for him.’
McCarthy noted that he and Roman had to have the same blood type for the kidney donation, and that they both are O positive.
‘When I originally signed up, you don’t go into it thinking, “I’m gonna donate my kidney.” You just go into it thinking, “Let’s see if we’re a match. Let’s see if it works,”‘ McCarthy said.
‘And then it just worked. And it’s pretty crazy that it ends up being, you know, like his math teacher…
Because I know there were a bunch of other people that probably started the process as well. But you know, you got to be a match. It doesn’t always work out.’
Roman’s father, Dan McCormick, said McCarthy’s generosity ‘means the world to me’.
‘I’ll never be able to… thank him enough for everything that he’s done for us,’ the father said. ‘He’s a wonderful human being.’
McCarthy will donate his kidney to Roman on Wednesday.
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