Coworker Donates kidney To Teen After Companywide Campaign Sparks Rare Living Donation
USA: A workplace became the unlikely setting for a life-saving transplant after a local woman stepped forward to donate a kidney to a co-worker’s son. Nikkia Barbie had long prepared for the possibility that her son Logan would need a transplant; the day after his 14th birthday he began dialysis and the family immediately launched a search for a donor. Friends, family and colleagues circulated flyers and social media posts, and the employer, Grand Mental Health, sent an email to staff to raise awareness.
After six months of campaigning the surgeons announced they had found a living donor, and in May Logan received the kidney transplant that removed him from the waiting list. The recipient’s family did not learn the donor’s identity until after the operation, when the caller revealed that the lifesaving match had come from within their own workplace. The discovery of a coworker as the donor surprised the family and gave the moment an extra layer of meaning.
Hannah Noise, the donor and fellow employee, described feeling compelled to help and took concrete steps to qualify: she altered her diet and lost about 30 pounds to lower her body mass index so she could be evaluated for donation. Her preparation, testing and ultimate decision to give a kidney to a stranger’s child unfolded quietly behind the scenes until the surgery was complete, after which she reached out to the family and their reunion was emotionally charged with tears and relief.
Colleagues said the companywide appeal was never expected to produce a living donor but succeeded in showing community support. The mother and donor have since teamed up to raise awareness for another child in need of a kidney. The account traces a clear timeline from dialysis initiation to a successful living-donor transplant in May and frames the donation as a deliberate, coordinated act that saved a teenager’s life.
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