Texas teacher to donate kidney to her first-grade student

NEW BRAUNFELS , Texas, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- Lindsey Painter, a first-grade teacher at Hoffmann Lane Elementary School in New Braunfels, Texas, will donate one of her kidneys to her 6-year-old student, Matthew Parker.

Matthew's family spent two years searching for a kidney donor when his body started rejecting a previous transplant. Doctors said Matthew had a 1 percent chance of finding a matching kidney.

Painter, one of 80 applicants who submitted themselves for testing, just happened to be Matthew's perfect match.

"It's hard not to feel like this is the way things were meant to be," Painter told KXAN. "Everything has fallen into place, and it's happened that way for a reason."

In March, Painter will undergo laparoscopic surgery to have her kidney removed and transferred to Matthew. Matthew, who has to travel to San Antonio for three days of dialysis each week, will be able to return to school full time.

"I don't think any words can say how we feel," Matthew's mother, Lisa Parker, told My San Antonio. "I'm hoping for the best for both of them."

"It did take a while to wrap my head around it," Painter told KVUE. "To think that I can do this, I can still live a normal life...and I get to make this amazing difference in Matthew's life."

Painter's supporters have started a GoFundMe page to raise funds for her medical and financial needs after the surgery.