A US preschool teacher has spoken of her joy at donating a kidney to one of her five-year-old pupils. Beth Battista offered to help after hearing about Lyla’s desperate search for a donor. The girl suffers from microscopic polyangiitis, a rare autoimmune disorder requiring 12 hours of dialysis each day.
Ms Battista contacted the UW Health Transplant Program in Wisconsin after seeing a Facebook post from Lyla’s mother. Following two tests, she was found to be a suitable match – a rare outcome given the need for compatible blood group and antigens.
The teacher later discovered that Lyla would be in her class at the Kids’ Express Learning Centre in Madison. She said she had no hesitation: 'I knew I just had to get tested rather than watch her suffer.'
Surgeons made four small incisions in Ms Battista’s abdomen to remove the kidney. The organ began working immediately when placed inside Lyla. Ms Battista was discharged after 48 hours and is recovering, though she feels tired as her remaining kidney adjusts.
'It was the same level of pain as a caesarean,' she said. One Facebook commentator wrote: 'You are an inspiration for all of us to go out there and be a donor.'
