Mrs. B's Journey Toward a New Kidney!

I've been asked by many people how they can help out with my kidney transplant journey, so I decided to share my story here.

Hi, most people know me as Mrs. B or if you were a student prior to 2017 I was Ms. T. I’ve had the joy and privilege of teaching science at Lowell High School for the past 17 years. Over nearly two decades, I’ve watched countless students grow, learn, and pursue their dreams—now I’m humbly asking for help in pursuing my own: the chance to live a healthier, longer life with my 8-year-old daughter.

Ten years ago, I was diagnosed with stage 3 chronic kidney disease which we finally discovered is caused by Alport Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that leads to progressive kidney failure. That diagnosis advanced to stage 5 kidney failure in the fall of 2022 which saw my overall kidney function drop to below 10%. After having a dialysis port placed, I’ve been doing peritoneal dialysis three times a day for a year and a half now to stay as healthy as possible. It’s been a challenging road, but there’s finally light at the end of the tunnel.

In January 2023, I was officially accepted into the kidney transplant program at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). Although I was on the active transplant list, I was hopeful that I would find a living donor as those transplants tend to have a better chance of long term success. I began to spread the word about the need for a donor and several community members stepped forward to be tested. Against all odds, a match was found—an incredibly generous former student of mine has stepped forward to be a living donor and donate their kidney. Words can’t even begin to express the gratitude I feel for Mollie and her supportive family. She’s jumped through every test, blood draw, and tissue match without complaint. It’s hard to even begin to describe the emotions that surround a gift like this. My goal has always been to try and impact the life of at least one student per year, but now it’s a student that’s changing my life!

After almost a year of blood tests and tissue matching our transplant surgery is finally scheduled for June 17, 2025, four short days after my birthday! After surgery I will remain in the hospital for 4–5 days and will then need to stay in Portland for roughly a month post-surgery to complete the weekly lab work, medication changes, and to ensure everything goes smoothly. Following the transplant, I’ll be on immunosuppressant medications for life to prevent rejection of the new kidney. To help support me through this journey, my mother will be traveling all the way from Georgia to be by my side and help care for me and my daughter during the recovery period.

My insurance will cover most of the surgical costs for myself and all of the surgical costs for my donor. While I’m incredibly thankful for this chance at a second life, the costs not covered by insurance—including travel, lodging, meals, post-op care, etc.— as well as ongoing medications are overwhelming. As you can probably imagine there are numerous restrictions in place for post-transplant that I’m not completely aware of yet but will learn during our two days of pre-op procedures.

I’m reaching out to friends, family, and the greater community for support. Every donation, big or small, will go directly toward my recovery and long-term health, helping ensure I can continue being the mom, teacher, friend, and human being I strive to be every day.

Thank you for reading, supporting, and sharing my story. Your kindness means more than you’ll ever know.

With gratitude,

Toni Beckett