A medical match seemingly made in heaven

There are days when Brandon Shafer is just too busy with his 6th grade studies to stop and chat with his former teacher from two years ago, Patricia Donahue.

But when he does have time, he’ll bounce into her classroom and assure her that he’s full of energy, he’s doing his work and, yes, he’s taking good care of his new kidney.

“I drink a lot of water and take my medication on time,” said Brandon, 12. “I don’t want my body to reject the kidney; then I’ll have to get another one.”

Donahue has a stake in Brandon’s health. She gave him one of her kidneys in 2006 after she learned that he suffered from polycystic kidney disease and needed the organ to avoid dialysis.

Donahue, now 27, was in her first year of teaching when she learned her 4th grade student had a special health need that she had the genes to fulfill. Brandon’s mother wasn’t a compatible donor, but Donahue was and didn’t hesitate to help.

“I just hope he uses it and takes care of it,” Donahue said. “He’s very aware of his body and its functions. I tell him to be careful and to tell his mom if he’s not feeling well. It brings a smile to my face when I see him able to be a kid.”

Since the surgery, the two have embarked on an extraordinary journey that has made them as close as kin.

They’ve been honored at assemblies and become vocal advocates of organ donation. They traveled to Hawaii together, went snorkeling and took a helicopter ride to see a volcano, thanks to a generous gift from a foundation acknowledging their unique partnership.

Donahue had a day named in her honor and was recently nominated for a national award for her selfless gift to her former student.

But more than anything, Donahue’s and Brandon’s families have melded -- having dinner twice a week and sharing phone calls, holidays, vacations and special occasions. And Donahue and Brandon have formed the unlikeliest of friendships.

“She’s like a sister, but she’s not mean,” Brandon says.

On Donahue’s first day of school, Brandon was the only student missing from her class, she said. When he showed up the next day, he came in early, before everyone else, extended his hand and introduced himself.

“He told me about his vacation,” Donahue said. She was impressed. She knew Brandon was ill, but he never let it stop him from doing his schoolwork or participating in class.

On the day Brandon learned his mother wasn’t a match to donate, he came to school particularly emotional, he said. He felt he could tell his teacher what was going on.

“I felt really bad,” he said. “I was scared.”

Donahue said she felt compelled to help. If Brandon didn’t get a donor, he’d have tohave dialysis, which could weaken him and hurt his schoolwork. Her own father had been a recipient of a bone marrow donation, so she knew first-hand what a difference she could make.

The majority of kidney donors give to relatives, said Ellie Schlam, a spokeswoman for the National Kidney Foundation. In 2006, the same year Donahue donated her kidney to Brandon, more than 67,000 people donated kidneys, but only about 1,400 of those donated to non-relatives, according to the foundation.

It wasn’t until they were all stitched up and recuperating from the surgery that Brandon and Donahue became friends. Brandon’s family started inviting Donahue over for dinner and to hang out. Her family invited them to the movies and to other outings. Now they speak on the phone, take vacations together and are woven into each other’s lives.

“She’s family now,” said Brandon’s mother, Nandy Shafer. “It’s incredible. She stepped up and sacrificed a kidney to save his life. She’ll always be a part of us.”