Nadirah Muhammad doesn’t like to be called a hero, but she’s certainly a life-saver. USA Today reports that the physical education and health teacher at Detroit’s West Side Academy donated her kidney to one of her students, 18-year-old A’Ja Booth.
On Wednesday, May 20, Booth returned to school for the first time since the surgery, walking arm-in-arm with her teacher. Muhammad’s colleagues and students organized a red-carpet ceremony to celebrate both Booth’s recovery and a remarkable gift.
“This is what we do as teachers. I did not do it for the accolades. I saw a human being in need, and if it were my child, I’d want someone to step forward and help him,” Muhammad said.
“I am blessed and I am thankful. I can’t thank her any more than I already have. I look at her as my second mother. She’s a wonderful woman,” Booth said, fighting her tears.
Last May, a 39-year-old Muhammad overheard Booth talking to another teacher about a book she wrote describing and chronicling her health struggles.
After I read her story, I immediately decided that I wanted to volunteer to donate one of my kidneys. If that was my child, I would want someone to do the same. It was a no-brainer,” the woman said.
After months of testing doctors determined that she and Booth were a perfect match.
On December 15 Dr. Jason Denny, senior staff surgeon and director of the Living Donor Kidney Transplant Program at Henry Ford Hospital, performed a successful operation as a result of which Booth got a new kidney.
Dr. Denny, who has performed hundreds of transplants, said:
“I’ve had a lot of combinations, but I don’t know about student-teacher. We’ve had ex-wives, and bosses and their employees.”
Muhammad, a wife and a mother, confessed that she questioned her decision only once, when doctors told her there was a 2% to 3% chance she could die. But her faith in God and internet research about the safety of transplant operations dispelled her fears.
After the successful operation Muhammad was back in the classroom by late January. Members of Booth’s family picked up homework packets from school every week so she could keep up with her studies.
In honor of Booth’s return, her school was brightly decorated; the students were welcoming the girl with cheers when she walked in.
Dr Denny, who accompanied the girl and her teacher, told the crowd that Muhammad’s donation “shows that we can redefine what a hero is.” He took the opportunity to highlight the importance of organ donation.
“The original miracle of life is God’s gift. We agree with that. But right where you are, you can also give the gift of life. Ms. Muhammad did that for A’Ja,” doctor said.
Now healthy and happy Booth is looking forward to the future. She will graduate from school on June 8 and is planning to attend Oakland University.
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