LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A Lexington kindergarten teacher is continuing her search for a kidney donor so she can continue to teach her students uninterrupted by recurring treatments.
April Littrell was diagnosed with Light Chain Disposition Disease roughly 14 years ago, which affects her kidneys. She has been on a transplant list for approximately three years now.
Littrell also teaches a class of two dozen kindergarten students at Garrett Morgan Elementary School and has been trying to balance her treatments with her dedication to education.
"I'm still trying to work, so we're just taking it day by day," Littrell said.
In October, Littrell told LEX 18 she was training to begin at-home dialysis treatments, which would allow her to continue teaching, uninterrupted.
At the end of November, however, Littrell suffered complications from the treatment, leading her to spend 12 cumulative days in the hospital.
Now, she has to return to in-clinic dialysis three days per week and has to leave her kindergarten class early on Tuesdays and Thursdays for treatments that last more than three hours.
"It's pulling me out of my classroom, which is not ideal for any teacher or any student," she said.
The elementary teacher is continuing her search for a donor, asking people to consider checking to see if they are a match.
"We're really looking for a donor so we can go ahead and get the transplant done, and we can move on and continue to work full-time for my kiddos," she said.
Littrell said she has found a few people willing to get tested but has not yet found a match. She asks people not to rule themselves out before going to get tested.
If you want to learn about the process to see if you could be a match, click here.
