La Conner Schools' Herrera truly a life-saver

There’s little doubt Kathy Herrera puts her heart into her career.

But that’s just a figure of speech compared to the sacrifice she made away from work this summer.

The La Conner Middle and High School athletic director and assistant principal donated a kidney to her brother-in-law, 41-year-old Fred Schori, of Seminole, Florida, in a five-hour surgery on July 31 – just five weeks before the start of school.

Yet the former college athlete was in school hallways greeting students last Wednesday as if nothing had happened.

“I don’t feel any different,” she told the Weekly News. “I felt good enough afterward to work half-days before school started. I’ve been through major surgery before, so I knew not to push too hard.”

She may not feel different physically, but Herrera has become a vocal advocate for the living organ donor program. She is sharing her experience, not to bring attention to herself, but rather to help build public awareness of the program’s lasting impact.

“It’s a great thing to give somebody an opportunity to have a normal life, and be able to watch their grandkids grow up,” she said.

In Herrera’s case, her donation saved a family member, the “fun uncle” whose rough-and-tumble playful nature her children have always enjoyed.

Schori was a fit and active adult, but there was a family history of kidney disease. Concerns were raised when he began to show signs of ill-health.

“We had seen him starting to fail,” said Herrera.

Within the past year his condition worsened. Potential donors for a kidney transplant were being sought.

Herrera joined others in filling out the necessary paperwork and providing a blood draw, though doubting she would be a match, She and Schori were related only by marriage, and he is part Samoan.

“I put a lot of thought into it,” Herrera said. “I talked to my family and decided if I came back as a match for someone other than Fred, I would go ahead and still donate because I would want someone else to do the same for him.”

Amazingly, Herrera soon received a call confirming she indeed was a match.

“They said it was definitely a pretty unique case,” said Herrera.

She was summoned to Florida to complete a rigorous round of testing. Herrera met there with a team of donor specialists separate from Schori’s own medical team.

“I couldn’t believe how well it all came together,” she said.

The testing determined Herrera’s health was excellent and found no underlying physical conditions that would nix her role as a kidney donor.

When the surgeries were performed on Herrera and Schori, the hospital waiting room became something of a family reunion as a host of relatives gathered there.

Herrera spent a couple weeks recovering in Florida at the same time her husband, Chris, was dealing with the aftermath of his father’s recent passing in Colorado.

The couple’s daughter, La Conner High senior Morgan Herrera, became her mom’s caretaker. It was Morgan who guided the wheelchair-bound Herrera through the airport and provided help on the flight back home.

“My family,” Herrera said, “has been just awesome.”

Schori, meanwhile, has been able to return to light duty at work. He has to be extremely cautious going forward. Wearing a mask in public for a year is mandatory. So, too, is avoiding dining at restaurants.

“It’s going to be a real lifestyle change for them,” Herrera said. “He and my sister have always been on the go and a lot of times that’s meant eating out. For now, all their meals will have to be at home.”

Herrera has learned much as a donor. For example, she now knows that her remaining kidney will grow significantly to offset the loss of its mate.

“It doesn’t really affect me much,” she said of the donation. “I just have to watch how much protein I take in.”

Herrera can’t say enough about living organ donor networks, and encourages everyone to go on-line to learn more.

“It would be great for more people to know about the program,” she said. “You can sign up on the website. It’s really an absolutely great thing. Because of it, it’s possible to give the best gift possible – the ability to help someone.”