‘Jen saved my life’: Port Huron school counselor donates kidney to local principal
A Port Huron principal said his life has been changed after receiving a kidney donation from a fellow educator.
Crull Elementary School Principal Charles Raski found out he had stage three kidney disease in 2016. His symptoms progressed over time and he was placed on dialysis in 2022, staying on it for about seven months while hoping for a new kidney.
His wife created a Facebook page called Finding Charlie’s Angel to find a donor, which caught the eye of Jennifer Nichols, a counselor at Port Huron High School.
Nichols said she lost her husband about nine years ago, although it wasn't related to kidney disease. She said she felt a call to help.
“Having been in the position of losing a husband and my kids losing a father, if there was something I could do to prevent another family from going through that, I wanted to do it," she said.
Raski and Nichols ended up being the same blood type, a preliminary factor in organ donation. Nichols then had to go through multiple rounds of testing to confirm the match and to guarantee positive results.
Their surgeries took place in March at the University of Michigan Hospital and now both are healthy and recovering.
Raski said he feels like a new man and Nichols’ actions helped him get his life back. He said he is grateful and very blessed to receive her kidney.
“Jen saved my life," Raski said. "I went from being a sick man to a regular person. It's been amazing."
Raski said the focus should not be on him, but rather on Nichols. He said it's people like her who save lives.
Raski and Nichols were not close friends before the donation. They initially knew each other because their sons play on the same little league team and from their employment at Port Huron Area Schools.
Raski and Nichols said since the starting the donation journey, their sons have become closer friends and so have they.
"We're connected now more than ever," Raski said.
Nichols said that since she was the donor, U of M allowed her to choose the surgery date. She chose March 29 because it was during Port Huron's spring break, and she thought it would be a good transition period before she and Raski had to take time off for recovery.
Additionally, choosing the end of March for surgery meant she and Raski would be fully recovered in time for summer.
"I'm looking forward to having more energy once I'm fully recovered, but the best part of this for me is that Charlie's body accepted my kidney and he's moving in the right direction," Nichols said.
Nichols said she didn't donate for recognition, but because her heart was pulled to help another family.
Considering organ donation
Raski was originally registered to receive a kidney from a deceased donor. He said in cases like that, a transplant may be a two to three year wait, during which he would be on dialysis. With a living donor, Raski did not have to wait that long. He said he was lucky for that chance.
According to Donate Life America, more than 100,000 people in the United States are waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant, with 85% of that number needing a kidney transplant. Raski said people should consider registering as an organ donor.
"People don't realize how many people are in need," he said.
Raski said that seeing patients in similar situation to him at U of M was humbling and gave him a new perspective in life. He said there were some who were sicker than him and still had to wait for a kidney to come along.
Raski said he wanted to emphasize the importance of becoming a donor because it could save many lives.
People interested in becoming an organ donor can register on donatelife.net.
Nichols said if she hadn't been a match for Raski, she would have been directed to other people in need. After finding out she was a match, it was recommended to wait six months to see if another donor came along, but she didn't want Raski to wait.
Raski said Nichols' decision was a miracle and it's not something to take lightly. He said she gave him more time with his family, and he will always be grateful.
Contact McKenna Golat at mgolat@gannett.com or (810) 292-0122.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Port Huron school counselor donates kidney to Port Huron principal
