During their holiday break, three educators from North Texas dedicated part of their time to saving lives. Over a three-day period at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital, the teachers underwent surgery to donate a kidney to someone in need.
Louise Bailey, a retired teacher currently serving as an art assistant at J.C. Thompson Elementary in the Northwest ISD, donated a kidney to her former college roommate on Dec. 20, 2023.
In the autumn of 2020, Bailey's relocation to North Texas ended with a reunion with her college roommate, Kathy Knowles, a retired principal from Keller. Living down the hall from each other in the same apartment complex, Bailey saw firsthand the challenges her friend faced while undergoing dialysis for stage 4 kidney disease.
The following day, Ava Nickerson, a science teacher in Valley View, located north of Denton, provided a kidney to a stranger. Three months after her son, 43-year-old Joel Nickerson, donated one of his kidneys, she chose to follow in his footsteps and donated to a stranger in need.
“I teach anatomy and am always amazed by how our body is created,” said Nickerson. “Even though I have two kidneys, I know that my body can function with one. A person whose kidneys are not functioning properly does not feel well, so my prayer is that the recipient will have a much better quality of life.”
Then, on Dec. 22, Mike Trevino, a special education teacher and coach at Highland Park Middle School in Dallas, gave the gift of his kidney to a man he had previously coached with at Polytechnic High School in Fort Worth.
Mike Trevino and Mason Williams crossed paths while working as coaches at Polytechnic High School. Despite their eventual divergent career paths, they maintained communication through occasional texts and even reunited to watch a Poly scrimmage. It was during this meeting that Trevino discovered Williams, born with only one kidney, was experiencing kidney failure.
“Through their chosen profession, teachers give so much of themselves toward the betterment of others, so it should really come as no surprise that these three chose to donate their kidney to someone in need,” said Joseph DeLeon, president of Texas Health Fort Worth. “We are proud that Texas Health could play a role in helping to facilitate their selfless and lifesaving gift.”
