T. Clay Wood Community Helps Teacher Find Kidney Donor

Photo of Deanna Cohen, courtesy of Deanna Cohen.

Teachers and students at T. Clay Wood Elementary School in Nokesville are asking residents to help a beloved teacher receive a kidney transplant.

Deanna Cohen, a second-grade teacher at the school,  will require a kidney transplant in order to survive.

According to Principal Andrew Buchheit, Cohen was born with only one kidney, which is now failing, though doctors do not know why. While Cohen’s health has not yet begun to suffer; she requires a new kidney to survive.

Buchheit  took to social media this week to ask the school community for help in finding a suitable transplant donor for Cohen.

Cohen is on a list for a kidney transplant and her doctors hope she can secure a donor soon and avoid dialysis. Close friends and relatives have already offered Cohen their kidneys, but none of them were a proper match for her. The donor would need to have type O blood and be in good health.

Buchheit hopes that spreading the word would help someone come forward who could provide a kidney for Cohen.

“The more people who know increases her odds of finding a match,” Buchheit said.

He notes in his posts that the average person only needs one kidney. The surgery to remove a kidney could most likely be done laparoscopically via tiny incisions.

The recuperation period after the surgery is only two weeks and a total of six weeks before the patient would be able to do any heavy lifting, he said.

Furthermore, he ensures that Cohen’s health insurance would pay for the surgery, which would be performed at Fairfax INOVA hospital.

Residents interested in becoming a donor can contact Kirsten Greeley, a living donor coordinator, at 703-776-8053 to get more information.

“From there,” Buchheit said, “candidates will be tested one at a time to find the best match for a kidney.”

Those with questions can also contact Cohen by calling 703-594-3990.

While he hopes the word will spread throughout the school community, Buchheit cautions parents not to inform their students as Cohen still appears to be in good health and she does not want to alarm them.

Cohen has taught school for 11 years and has taught at T. Clay Wood since the school’s opening in August of 2011.