ARLINGTON (KRLD) - As head of the lower school at the Oakridge School in Arlington, Sarah Schecter deals with a lot of a children and their parents. In 2018, she ran into Amenze Jones, whose three kids attend Oakridge.
"She said her husband, Nate Jones, was suffering from renal failure and it seemed pretty dire," Schecter said.
After that encounter, Schecter said she got a feeling that she was the person who was supposed to donate her kidney to him. She dismissed it but it wouldn't go away.
Schecter decided to ask her family. Over Christmas in 2018, she asked her husband, son and daughter if she should donate her kidney to Nate.
"They said, 'Yes! If God put it on your heart, you should do it!'" she said.
But even after that, she wasn't ready.
Schecter said every sermon at church was about giving and the feeling that she was the one to give her kidney to Nate would not go away so she finally agreed to it.
At parent-teacher conferences she invited Amenze to her office.
"I didn't tell her in any kind of delicate way. I just blurted it out. I said,'Look, I think I'm the person who is supposed to donate my kidney to Nate. Just give me the information and tell me what I need to do'" Schecter said.
Amenze was shocked and overcome with emotion. Schecter says after many tests, it was revealed that she was, in fact, a perfect match.
They went forward with the transplant on January 13th and as soon as Schecter's kidney was placed in Nate's body, it turned pink and started producing urine immediately.
"The only two things I can't do are kickboxing and playing professional football and I wasn't planning on starting either of those at the age of 57," she said laughing. "I feel amazing."
We're proud to call Sarah Schecter this week's KRLD Difference Maker.
If you know someone who is making a difference in the community, email susy.solis@entercom.com.