Ohio Teacher Becomes a Hero, Donates Kidney to Former Student

People really are amazing.

An Ohio area student was recently in need of a major organ transplant. That's when a teacher stepped up to help.

The student's name is Roman. Roman, a high school sophomore, has something called BOR syndrome, as reported by goodmorningamerica.com. BOR syndrome, or Branchiootorenal syndrome, can cause several issues including kidney abnormalities.

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In Roman's case, he told GMA,

I'm not able to eat foods that most normal kids will be able to. I'm not able to be more [physically] active because [my] kidneys are slowing down my physical activity.

With that in mind, his parents were actively looking for a live donor that could provide Roman with a new kidney.

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After searching for two years, they reached out to local news organizations to get the word out about their need for a kidney, including The Monroe News in Monroe, Michigan.

That's where our hero teacher, Eddie McCarthy, comes in.

Mr. McCarthy is a math teacher at Whitmer High School in Toledo where he had taught Roman in the past. He told Good Morning America that when he learned the story, he went to get tested not really thinking that he'd be an organ donor. He just wanted to know if he was a match.

He was.

In fact, test after test revealed that Mr. McCarthy was the perfect match for Roman. While the testing took place in February of this year, the actual surgery just recently took place on July 19th at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor.

We'd all like to believe that, should the need arise, we would give away a part of ourselves (quite literally) without hesitation. But, in truth, that's a huge decision. One that Eddie McCarthy never seemed to second guess once he learned that he was a match.

The family hopes that this story will encourage others to get tested to see if they're a match for those in need of transplants. You never know whose life you may be able to save.

Read the full story from Good Morning America here.