Teacher donates her kidney to save 18-yr-old student's life

Nadirah Muhammad doesn't like to be called a hero, but she's certainly a life-saver.

The physical education and health teacher at Detroit's West Side Academy donated a kidney late last year to one of her students, 18-year-old A'Ja Booth.

Booth returned to school today for the first time since the surgery, walking arm-in-arm with Muhammad down a red carpet in the gymnasium as fellow students threw sparkling confetti.


The ceremony celebrated both Booth's recovery and a remarkable gift.

"I'm blessed and I'm thankful," Booth said, fighting back tears as she addressed her classmates.

A'Ja left school early three days a week for four years so she could undergo grueling dialysis treatments. She has a kidney disease called focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.

Last May, Muhammad, 39, overheard A'Ja talking to another teacher about a book she wrote chronicling her health struggles.

"After I read her story, I immediately decided that I wanted to volunteer to donate one of my kidneys," she said.

"If that was my child, I would want someone to do the same. It was a no-brainer."

Muhammad said after months of testing, doctors determined that she and Booth were a perfect match.

On Dec. 15, Muhammad's kidney was removed at Henry Ford Hospital, wrapped in a cooling solution, packed in ice, placed in a cooler and rushed three miles away to an operating room at Children's Hospital of Michigan, where Booth was waiting.

Dr. Jason Denny, senior staff surgeon and director of the Living Donor Kidney Transplant Program at Henry Ford Hospital, inserted Booth's new kidney at Children's as part of a partnership between the two hospitals.

He has performed hundreds of transplants.

"I've had a lot of combinations, but I don't know about student-teacher," he said. "We've had ex-wives, and bosses and their employees."

Muhammad, a married mother of a teenager, questioned her decision only once, when doctors told her there was a 2% to 3% chance she could die.

But internet research about the safety of transplant procedures and her faith in God quickly calmed her fears, she said.

The surgery was a success.

Muhammad was back in the classroom by late January. Booth's family members picked up homework packets from school every week so she could keep up with her studies.

In honor of Booth's return, the gym at West Side Academy was decorated with signs and balloons in silver and black, the school colors. The student-packed bleachers erupted with cheers when she walked in.

Denny told the crowd that Muhammad's donation "shows that we can redefine what a hero is."

He used the moment to highlight the importance of organ donation, especially among minorities.

As of May 1, 3,505 people in the state were awaiting an organ, according to Gift of Life Michigan. Of the 2,803 people waiting specifically for a kidney, 41% were African American.

"The original miracle of life is God's gift. We agree with that," Denny said. "But right where you are, you can also give the gift of life. Ms. Muhammad did that for A'Ja."

Source indicates that booth now takes more than 20 pills day, some of which are designed to ensure her body doesn't reject the new organ. But she's healthy and happy and looking forward to the future.

Booth will graduate June 8 and plans to attend Oakland University. She wants to be a nurse.

West Side Academy's principal, Andrea Ayler, told her, "We expect nothing but grand and glorious things for you."