It is not often that a person will step up, out of the blue and offer someone who they hardly know an organ. Nancy Bleuer, an energetic preschool teacher, formally of West Bend, did just that.
For Bleuer, this bold offer began 12 years ago after a co-worker inspired her by donating an organ. “I told myself I would do it if I ever had the chance,” recalled Bleuer. “It was a very honorable thing to do.”
Fast forward to last year. Sitting in an urgent care facility, Bleuer first heard the news about Darreld, the father of her preschool student, who seven years earlier was diagnosed with renal failure and in urgent need of a kidney transplant.
Instantly knowing that she wanted to help out in some way, Bleuer asked Darreld’s family member how she could get tested for a match.
At this point, Bleuer didn’t have any real connection to Darreld except for the knowledge that he was her student’s father.
“Giving is a big thing in our family. Good things come back to you,” explained Bleuer.
Hearing the news, Darreld dropped off a packet of donor information to her the next week, telling her not to be disappointed if it wasn’t a match as he had been through this matching process before without success.
For more on this story, please see the June 1 issue.