Girl, 8, Receives Kidney From Teacher: 'God Puts You in Certain Situations for a Reason'
An 8-year-old girl has received the miracle of life from her teacher, who donated a kidney to the young girl. Nicole Miller received the organ from her former kindergarten teacher, Wendy Killian, who works at the Mansfield Christian School in Ohio.
According to Nicole's family, she was born with a genetic disorder that left her with only one kidney. Even that one kidney often malfunctions, and when it does, she gets extremely tired and has to miss school. Killian became involved during a parent-teacher conference, in which she asked about the criteria to be a donor. She was a perfect match and decided to give Nicole the kidney because her own son received a blood platelet transfusion.
"I thought it was a great thing to do," Killian's husband Stu told the Associated Press. "God puts you in certain situations for a reason. She didn't want to go ahead with anything unless she talked to me. I thought it was a great thing to do."
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"I'm ready to go! Let's get this show on the road," Nicole said before her operation on Tuesday.
"See you soon, sweet girl," Killian responded.
"For her to be able to feel good and not live in a fog because her body's not able to dispose of waste properly … seeing what she's going to be like is the exciting part for me as a parent," Nicole's father, Brian Miller, told The Mansfield News Journal. "The next six months will be the most difficult. After six months, things can settle in, and hopefully we can really see what her life is going to be like."
"She's been excited about the thought of getting a new kidney," Nicole's mother, Letitia said. "The thought of being in the same room with Wendy (Killian) was really comforting to her."
Both came through their surgeries quite well and are already spending time with their respective families.
