Wisconsin Preschool Teacher Donates Kidney To Her Gravely-Ill 4-Year-Old Student [Video]

A Wisconsin preschool teacher proved that some teachers are angels here on earth. In February 2017, Beth Battista will be 4-year-old Lyla’s kidney donor. Layla’s mother, Dena Carreyn, believes it is a miracle and refers to Beth as her daughter’s angel.

Dena was not surprised when the school called her in to talk about Lyla’s medical care in September. They told her a new teacher needed to “touch base” with her about her daughter’s specialized medical care.

Carreyn’s daughter has an autoimmune disorder, which affected her kidney function. Her doctors recommended a kidney transplant, and urged her the sooner the better. After a long search for a donor, Dena learned that they finally found a perfect match.

“I just had a feeling when I first heard about Lyla being sick,” Beth said. “It was something inside me that said I needed to get tested. After searching the entire country, it in a real miracle that I am her match. I feel blessed to be able to save her life and give her the future she deserves.”

Spent my Friday morning teaching my son's Pre-K class about his homeland, #Ethiopia. pic.twitter.com/gFO0nDMLZV

— denacarreyn@gmail.com (@DenaCarreyn) March 16, 2014

In September, Beth called Dena in to talk about Lyla’s care at school. As Dena sat down, Beth handed her a box. At first, she remembered asking herself why she is getting a present. As she unwrapped the present, tears streamed down her cheek — Beth Battista is the perfect kidney match and is donating her kidney to Lyla, Babble reported.

“I may be her teacher now, but soon a little piece of me will be with Lyla forever,” Beth wrote on a card. ” I’m Lyla’s kidney donor.”

Answer To Prayers

This was an answer to Dena’s prayers. Finally, Lyla’s days of being attached to a dialysis machine for 12 to 14 hours a day were over. Dena couldn’t believe that after all the praying and hoping for a perfect match, Lyla’s donor was her preschool teacher. Carreyn collapsed in Beth’s arms and thanked her for her selfless act.

Beth told In Touch that something inside her told her that she needed to give Lyla her kidney. She said that she cannot explain why it was important to her, but Beth felt it was “something she had to do.”

“There’s always been a part of me that has known that I was meant for more than being a wife, mother and a teacher, “Battista stated. “You don’t have very many opportunities to save somebody’s life.”

Lyla’s Health Problems Began With A Fever

Lyla appeared to be a healthy child until October 2015 when she developed a fever and a cough. Her mother believed it was only pneumonia, but the doctors discovered that she was suffering from acute renal failure. They diagnosed her with microscopic polyangiitis, which is a rare inflammation of the blood vessels. The fatal disease causes damage to vital organs.

“Lyla’s kidney’s don’t work properly,” Dena stated. ” We try to let her do as many normal four-year-old activities as possible, but she takes about 19 medications a day, which causes severe dehydration.”

Beth Saw Dena’s Facebook Plea For A Kidney Donor

In July, Beth saw Dena’s Facebook post about their desperate search for a kidney donor for Lyla. Something deep inside Beth told her to get tested; it was something she felt she was destined to do.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10210924378286020&set=a.1204943444296.2031171.1249948008&type=3&theater

“A week and a half later, I got a call saying we have matching antigens, ” Beth said. By September, Beth passed all the tests the doctors needed, so she decided to share the good news. When they told Lyla that her preschool teacher, Ms. Beth, was going to donate her kidney to her, she was completely shocked.

Surgery

Lyla’s kidney transplant is scheduled for February 22, 2017. Beth and Lyla will need a few weeks to recover, but both are expected to make a full recovery. Dena will be forever grateful for the teacher that saved her little girl’s life.

“Words cannot express the depth of my gratitude,” Dena explained. “How do you possibly thank someone for saving your child’s life? Words are not enough. Beth will forever be a part of our family.”

In Dena’s mind, Beth is so much more than a teacher. She will be a part of her family and will get the chance to see her daughter grow up as a normal child — all because of the selfless act of donating her kidney to Lyla.

[Featured Image by kerale/Shutterstock]