Former Student Donates Kidney To Dying Teacher

English teacher, George Labecki learned that his kidneys were no longer functioning and his doctors placed him on the donor list. Knowing that could take a minimum of 5 years to find a match, his wife encouraged him to make a plea for a kidney donor on social media. Then this former studnet donates kidney to save his life.

Labecki shared in a perfectly pinned post, that he has struggled with his kidneys since he was a teen. In January of 2017, it became more than a struggle, George was in the battle for his life. His post came as a shock to his friends and colleagues who quickly stepped up to share his post in hopes of finding him a donor. A former coworker, gym teacher Kathy Young shared the post which was seen by her former student, Lindsay Arnold Wenrich.

"I thought, 'wow, this is hitting kind of close to home,'" Weinrich told "GMA," adding that Labecki was a popular teacher who all the kids knew in high school. "It's not super often that I see someone I know who needs an organ donor and even though I never had him, Cedar Cliff is a close-knit community."

Along with many other former students and coworkers, Lindsay got tested to see if she was a candidate to help George. In September, she learned that she was a match! God really does work in mysterious ways! Lindsey decided to surprise Mr. Labecki with the news. Learning he is a big Penn State Nittany Lions fan, Lindsay dressed up in a mascot outfit for her big reveal. Written on large poster board, she gave George clues:

“We are happy to tell you that…”

“We are a match…”

“I’m giving you my kidney!”

By the final card reveal, the two were already in tears and shared an emotional embrace. The surgery is scheduled for October 26. Please keep George, Lindsay and their families in your prayers!

Of the experience George has firm advice for anyone in his situation:

"Shake the trees. Reach out to as many people as you can. Don't be afraid to make the ask. We tend to be very closed about things and don't share a lot. Open, share, reach out. There are people out there who want to help, but they don't know the problems were having. Shake the tree, reach out, and let people know and don't be afraid.”