Teacher Discovers Shocking Cause Of Student’s Concerning Behavior

One day at school, Nancy Bleuer noticed something was wrong with her student. Camden was acting strange, silent, and reclusive. Was he sick? Was something wrong at home? Was he feeling out of place? She was intent on getting to the bottom of it, so she monitored him carefully.

After days turned into weeks with no improvement on Camden’s part, Nancy asked if they could talk in private. She didn’t want to single him out in front of the other kids, and she was relieved when he said yes. They went to an empty corner of the room, and the truth poured out.

Nancy was worried. Camden was demonstrating telltale signs of a kid with a rotten home life. Her dedication to her students didn’t stop in the classroom, so she carefully coaxed the truth out of her pupil. He was hesitant to speak at first, but after some careful guidance and effort, he confessed.

The source of his heartache was his father. See, while 34-year-old Darreld Peterson of Mason City, Iowa, kept the finer details of his life out of the public spotlight, one thing was perfectly clear to all who knew and met him: he loved his son. But Darreld wasn’t doing well.

Pictures of the father and his 4-year-old son decorated his social media profiles. In each one, the duo wore huge smiles across their faces, whether they were at a school event with inflatable slides or just in the car. During their escapades, Camden didn’t know his father was dying.

In 2010, just a few years before Camden was born, doctors diagnosed Darreld with Berger’s disease. Antibodies called IgA, the experts said, were building up in his kidneys and slowly destroying the organs.

In other words, Darreld was on the fast track to renal kidney failure, a condition in which his deteriorated kidneys would no longer filter all the toxins out of his bloodstream. When that set in, he would die — leaving Camden behind.

So after Camden was born in 2012, Darreld raised him knowing a fatal diagnosis was just one doctor’s visit away. And in January 2016, the Sword of Damocles finally fell: his kidneys failed. He needed a transplant ASAP.

While doctors placed him on a kidney donor list, he also sought out donors himself. “I had friends and family come forward who wanted to donate,” he said, “but these didn’t work out, for medical reasons or other reasons.” In the meantime, he started up dialysis.

The 34-year-old spent 4 hours three days per week hooked up to a machine that filtered his blood, during which he no doubt thought of little else but Camden. And for the four-year-old, even with his dad on dialysis, life continued.

As Camden told his story, Nancy’s jaw fell to the floor. The story he told was devastating. His father was seriously ill, and without proper treatment, he was likely going to die. The truth was an unbearable weight for a kindergartener, yet Nancy was determined to set everything right.

So Nancy went to her files and pulled up the phone number for Camden’s dad, Darreld. He, of course, had no idea that he was about to receive this call. When he first realized it was Camden’s teacher, he worried that his son had gotten in trouble!

The teacher told the father that Camden had spilled the beans, and Darreld was embarrassed beyond belief. Nevertheless, he filled her in on all the details 4-year-old Camden wasn’t privy to. His kidneys were functioning at below 20% capacity, and he didn’t have a ton of time left.

Many would argue that teaching is tireless and underpaid. It takes a giving person to be one, and that described 54-year-old Nancy to a tee. She wasn’t getting any younger, and her kidneys were working fine. Maybe, she suggested, Darreld could use one of her kidneys! Immediately, Darreld declined. They’d have to think of another way.

But no matter what, Nancy was committed to helping. She pressed the issue further, explaining to Darreld all the reasons she would make the perfect donor, and eventually, the father relented. She had made a promise and had every intention to keep it, though it wasn’t so simple.

Donating a kidney isn’t as easy as slicing someone open. Nancy had to take physical exams to make sure her organ would be compatible with Darreld’s body. The results were much better than they could’ve expected.

Not only was Nancy’s kidney in good health, she also had appropriate genetic correlations to donate to Darreld. It seemed like all the cards were in order, but there was one more test she had to pass.

Before Nancy could be approved, she had to undergo psychological exams to confirm that she wasn’t donating her kidney because she was insane or under duress. The back and forth proved what everyone already knew: Nancy wasn’t crazy; she just had a heart of gold.

After a long period of tests, discussions, and “are you sures,” it was finally time for surgery. Transplant surgeons Alan Reed, Zoe Stewart Lewis, and Daniel Katz led the endeavor. They were qualified and experienced, but like any surgery, there was always a risk.

Luckily, Darreld and Nancy could both rest easy. The surgery was a great success! “She’s given me and my son a new opportunity at life,” Darreld said. He couldn’t believe it. Was this the most selfless act ever committed by a teacher?