'I wanted to do something': Math teacher donates kidney to student

Roman McCormick was about to start dialysis when his family got the news. A living kidney donor had been found.

Roman, 15, has had renal problems all his life. He is the son of Jamie Redd and Dan McCormick, both of Toledo. His dad is originally from Monroe and is a 17-year member of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Council 8902, Knights of Columbus in Temperance. The Temperance K of C, which has 131 members, helped Roman’s family search for a kidney donor.

Roman was born with branchiootorenal, or BOR, syndrome, the same genetic condition as his dad. Dan McCormick also battles kidney problems and last year received a kidney from a deceased donor. Roman had two surgeries in his life. As a child, he played sports, but both his activity level and kidney function continued to decline through the years. Doctors said he’d need a new kidney before high school graduation.

Earlier coverage: Family, Temperance Knights of Columbus seek kidney for boy, 15, with renal condition

Last February, McCormick and Redd announced that Roman was in Stage 4 kidney failure and needed a donor kidney soon. Since then, Roman got weaker and advanced to Stage 5, which meant dialysis was in his future.

“We had a hard time accepting it,” Redd said. “He was pretty much restricted to school and his bedroom.”

On dialysis, Roman would have gone active on the transplant list. But, because time was more critical, he likely would have gotten a kidney from a deceased donor. Organs from deceased donors typically doesn’t last as long as those from living donors.

In late May, McCormick reluctantly called the University of Michigan Transplant Center to make his son active on the transplant list. The hospital told him to wait.

“They said there’s a possible match in the middle of June. Give it two more weeks,” Redd said. “About June 22, Dan called and said they found a match.”

The match was Ed McCarthy, 35, a Toledo dad of two who’s also Roman’s math teacher at Washington Local Schools in Toledo. McCarthy heard about Roman’s need on social media.

“I saw it on Facebook. People were posting about it. His family was on TV. His parents were crying. That definitely struck a chord with me,” McCarthy said.

Although he didn’t even know his blood type, McCarthy immediately decided to get tested.

“It was the least I’ve ever thought about something. I knew if I thought about it too much, I would have found some reason not to do it,” McCarthy said. “I would have felt really bad seeing him every day in class and saying, ‘I hope you find a kidney.’ I wanted to do something.”

Right away, McCarthy learned he shared Roman’s very common O-positive blood type.

“38% of people have O positive,” McCarthy said.

Then, for four months, McCarthy continued testing. He passed kidney function and tissue matching tests. He also had an EKG and an MRI.

“A lot of things could rule you out, but I kept passing all the tests and matching up with Roman,” McCarthy said.

Still, he didn’t tell Roman or his family.

“A few people told them, ‘I’m getting testing. I have the same blood type.’ But they failed tests after that. I didn’t want to do that,” he said.

Soon, McCarthy and his wife, Mindy, began to think things could work out.

“I haven’t had any health issues. I had no kidney stones. I don’t drink a case of beer a night. I started to think, 'I’m going to pass this.' It got more and more real for all of us,” he said.

When McCarthy learned he could donate his kidney to Roman, he still said nothing to the teen's family.

“I wanted to be sure that his parents knew and that the hospital called them and said, 'You have a donor.' I waited a couple days and called them,” he said. “It was the coolest phone call ever.”

“It was a weird call to get in the summer (from a teacher),” Redd said. “Eddie said, ‘Roman’s an awesome student. By the way, I’m his donor.’”

Surgery

Roman’s and McCarthy’s surgeries were performed July 19 at the U-M Transplant Center.

“Both surgeries went really well,” Redd said. “Doctors said Roman got a Mercedes-Benz of a kidney. Roman had some pain afterward because of the new incision and the new body part.”

McCarthy’s procedure took four hours, and he was in the hospital just one day. Three weeks later, he said, he had “zero pain.”

“Today I feel normal. I’m pain-free and healed up,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy’s kids, Emily, 10, and Jack, 6, “think it’s cool” that he helped Roman. Now, with just one kidney, McCarthy has to remain as healthy as possible.

“Eat healthy, a Mediterranean diet. That’s the exact diet they recommend for every human being. Don’t eat a bunch of chips, have cashews instead, and drink 64 ounces of water. I just have to be healthy the rest of my life. This is extra motivation,” he said.

McCarthy was in class on Washington Local’s first day of school. Roman is going back soon. Both have lifting restrictions.

Roman also can’t do much physical activity yet, and doctors also are getting his anti-rejection medication adjusted. He has weekly blood draws and frequent kidney function tests. He’s down to six medications in the morning, one in the afternoon and four in the evening. A month since the transplant, doctors have high hopes that Roman will continue to improve and will even play soccer again.

“He’ll have a waist belt to add an extra layer of protection. With a kidney transplant, they put the new one up front, by his stomach,” Redd said. “Roman has three kidneys now. The two he was born with that don’t work. In front is the new one. They don’t take out the old ones. The theory is they are not going to hurt him. Why open him up and (risk infection)?”

Redd and McCormick hope Roman’s new kidney can last 30 years.

“He’ll have to take care of it as gets older,” Redd said. That includes drinking 2.5 liters of water a day and eating healthy.

Subscribe Now: For all the latest local developments, breaking news and high school sports content.

Roman’s family is grateful to McCarthy.

“He went above and beyond as a teacher and as person. He’s not even related to Roman. I’m sure we will (be close with McCarthy) for the rest of our lives,” Redd said.

McCarthy said he’d go through the entire process over again, and he encourages others to consider organ donation.

“The list is long. It’s just absolutely worth it. It’s awesome to do that for someone’s kid,” McCarthy said. “The surgeons do this 100 times a year. It’s very routine. After you’re fully recovered, it really doesn’t feel like that big of a deal. I don’t feel any different. The pain is gone. My life’s going to be no different. I highly encourage anyone.”

McCarthy said he’s in awe of people who donate an organ to someone they don’t know.

“The people who just sign up for a random person, that’s what the world needs,” he said.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Math teacher donates kidney to student