Inspiration
Teachers always strive to inspire their students, but sometimes our students are the ones that inspire us. As special education teachers at Warren Hills Regional Middle School in Washington, NJ; we have experienced both extreme emotional highs and lows with our students. Two years ago, a young man by the name of Davis came to our middle school as a 7th grader. He had fiery red hair an
d a personality to match. It was often difficult to tell that under all of his jokes and wonderful spirit lay a dismal disease that claimed his kidney function. In his first month with us, we learned that his disease relegated him to weekly dialysis treatments and painful procedures that left him exhausted and often unable to participate in activities with his peers. As the months went by, we witnessed this energetic young man change to a practically immobile child who used a walker to get from class to class. This would often leave him so worn out he could not make it through the day. His disease had not only claimed his health and his ability to walk but also his ability to participate with his peers. As teachers we felt powerless that we could not offer him much in the way of comfort, but only continue to do what we knew how to do, and that was to provide him with an education. Although he missed many classes; to our amazement his spirit shined through. There were tough days, but for the most part, he continued to come to class and participate with his peers as much as he could, all the while waiting to hear if he would be the recipient of a new kidney. By the end of 8th grade, he still did not have a kidney, and like him, we were frustrated. Again, as teachers, we felt powerless. Was there something we could do to help him? A life saving kidney transplant seemed so far away for David. Frederick L. Hipp Grant Foundation
Although we could not cure David or even ease much of his pain, we felt as his teachers that we needed to do something. The idea came to us one day after school. “What if we help Daid by doing what we do best? Educate!” On that day, the idea for the program DONATE was born. “DONATE” stands for Donate Organs Now Action Team for Education. We knew that we wanted to inform the students at Warren Hills about donation but we also wanted the idea to spread throughout our community and possibly the state. At the present time, approximately 5,000 people in New Jersey are waiting for a life saving transplant. Because of this shortage 18 people will die each day waiting on a transplant list. These statistics, along with our first hand knowledge of David’s struggle prompted us to seek ways to get the word out about the importance of organ and tissue donation. As a result, we turned to the NJEA and the Frederick L. Hipp Grant Foundation. We applied for and received a grant of $2,500 from the foundation in the spring of 2015 to help fund various field trips, speakers, and community activities that focus on donation awareness and education. DONATE
Thanks to the Frederick L. Hipp Grant Foundation, our students at Warren Hills Middle School have had the opportunity to learn more about the importance of donation through a field trip to Liberty Science Center’s “Live from Surgery” event where they viewed a real time kidney transplant narrated by a kidney transplant surgeon at St. Barnabas Health Care System In Livingston, NJ. They have also had the amazing opportunity to hear about and ask questions of speakers provided by the New Jersey Sharing Network. Our students will bring their knowledge about donation to our community through various Community Day celebrations and events. On May 15, 2016 at 10am, we will be holding a “Life Celebration Walk” at Warren Hills High School Stadium. During the walk and celebration students, members of the community, and our state are invited to donate blood, participate in the “Be the Match” program and even donate their hair. These wonderfully educational opportunities could not have happened without the support from the Frederick L. Still Inspiring
Even though David has transitioned to Warren Hills High School as a 9th grader, his story still continues to inspire. To date, he is still awaiting a kidney transplant. Nonetheless, his spirit remains lively as he waits for a kidney to change his life. His positive attitude and resilience has given use the vision and motivation we need to bring the message of DONATE to our school and community.
