Hailey Herdt has spent six years teaching at Wineteer Elementary in Derby, but without a living kidney donor, dialysis could force her out of the classroom.

Herdt was born with pulmonary hypertension, a condition that causes high blood pressure. Doctors gave her a 50% chance of survival at birth, FOX Kansas reported Aug. 27.

In 2007, when Herdt turned 11, her mother donated a kidney. That transplant carried her through school and into a teaching career, but it was never a permanent fix. Herdt will soon return to the active transplant list and is searching for a living donor.

Her husband wants to begin the evaluation process to see whether he is a potential match.

What's at stake

Dr. Tim Schmitt, director of transplantation at the University of Kansas Health System, said dialysis would probably prevent Herdt from continuing to teach full-time.

"It's usually like three days a week. Monday, Wednesday, Saturday, or a certain kind of period they do, and it takes three to four hours," Schmitt told KAKE News.

That schedule would consume most of a teacher's planning and recovery time outside the classroom.

A school rallying behind her

Principal Sean Springer called Herdt a positive influence at Wineteer Elementary, which serves about 397 students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade within the Derby Unified School District.

A living donor from outside the family could shorten her wait. The University of Kansas Health System notes that kidneys from living donors typically function longer and carry lower rejection rates than those from deceased donors.

How to help

Any healthy adult 18 or older with normal kidney function can potentially donate. The recipient's insurance typically covers the donor's evaluation, medical care and surgery, according to the University of Kansas Health System.

Anyone interested in being evaluated as a living donor for Herdt can email [email protected] or call 913-588-3961, option 2.