I can’t think of a better Christmas story than the story of Morgan Corliss and her high school Principal, James Friel. Friel is a Principal at Franklin Middle School. He has spent 24 years in education, trying to make a difference in the lives of children.
The opportunity presented itself when Morgan Corliss, a 13-year old student, developed kidney failure. Her mother and sister were both afflicted with the same illness, exempting them from becoming donors. That's when Principal Friel stepped in. His blood type matched and the family chose him (out of two possible matches) to become the donor. The surgery is expected to take place in January.
Morgan developed Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis, a rare kidney disease, at the age of four. But it wasn’t until recently that she began showing symptoms of kidney failure and her situation became more urgent. She lost 85% of her kidney function in the past year alone. Morgan just wants to be a regular 13-year old like her friends. Without the transplant, she would have to be hooked up to a dialysis machine for up to 12 hours per day.
So when Principal Friel stepped in and offered to donate, he gave the family hope. And there is no better gift that a person can give to another than the gift of hope. In an interview Friel did with ABC News he said, “If this isn’t making a difference in the life of a child, I don’t know what is.”
Indeed.
Hats off to you, Mr. Friel.