{"id":147674,"date":"2025-04-03T07:42:45","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T05:42:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goodthingsguy.com\/?p=147674"},"modified":"2025-05-01T04:18:48","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T02:18:48","slug":"teacher-donates-kidney-to-former-student-gives-him-a-second-chance-at-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodthingsguy.com\/people\/teacher-donates-kidney-to-former-student-gives-him-a-second-chance-at-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Teacher Donates Kidney to Former Student, Gives Him a Second Chance at Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

A kidney, a friendship and a whole lot of kindness. Kearsney Deputy Head donates kidney to save former student\u2019s life.<\/h2>\n

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KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (03 April 2025)<\/em> – Last week, something truly extraordinary happened, a moment that reminds us how deeply people can care for each other, even across decades. Marc Ancillotti, Deputy Head at Kearsney College, underwent surgery to donate a kidney to his friend, Justin Fletcher… a former student he once taught at Michaelhouse 25 years ago.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the kind of story that gives you goosebumps, a story that reminds us what love, friendship and human decency can look like in their purest form.<\/p>\n

Justin, who was diagnosed with end-stage renal failure, had been told he had just 12 months to find a kidney. At the time, his wife Gaylyn was four months pregnant with their daughter and their lives were thrown into a terrifying spiral of uncertainty.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy husband was told he had 12 months to find a kidney, to save his life. I was four months pregnant at the time. Our world was never going to be the same again,\u201d she shared.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But then came Marc.<\/p>\n

\u201cI first read a \u2018plea for help\u2019 on a Michaelhouse Old Boys circular\u2026 I read the post and felt God calling me, saying, \u2018You got this. Stand up and step forward\u2019. I have never felt so convicted in my life to do something,\u201d Marc wrote in a heartfelt post.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

From that moment, Marc never looked back. He faced medical tests, allergic reactions, setbacks and bureaucratic delays. He kept showing up. He kept pushing forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were so many challenges,\u201d he explained. \u201cI failed tests, my blood pressure readings were out\u2026 the blood pressure monitor \u2018broke\u2019\u2026 I had to carry a 5L canister around at work\u2026 but I always knew it would happen.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And it did.<\/p>\n

On the 26th of March 2025, Marc gave a literal piece of himself so that Justin could live the life he deserved \u2014 as a husband, a father and the incredible human who lights up every room.<\/p>\n

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Photo Credit: Kearsney College Facebook Post<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a bid to ease the overwhelming medical costs, a crowdfunding campaign was launched through BackaBuddy<\/a>. South Africans from all walks of life rallied together, raising an incredible R654,000 out of the R690,000 target. Proof that kindness still moves mountains.<\/p>\n

Why does this matter? Because it\u2019s a reminder that we still live among everyday heroes. That someone can look at an old schoolboy connection and say, \u201cYes, I\u2019ll give you a part of myself so you can live.\u201d Because Marc didn\u2019t just give an organ… he gave a daughter her dad, a wife her husband, and a community their friend.<\/p>\n

As Gaylyn so beautifully put it: \u201cJustin is the epitome of goodness and kindness\u2026 his joy is infectious, his heart wide open. He now faces the biggest challenge of his life. And yet, even in the midst of it all, he still manages to smile, to love, to put others before himself.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And now? There\u2019s hope. There\u2019s healing. There\u2019s the promise of a future.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll never ever be able to thank Marc enough,\u201d Gaylyn said. \u201cBut what I can promise him is that for the rest of my life, I will be kind. I will help other people feel special and loved and I will continuously let them know that they are enough\u2026 and I will pay it forward. Forever.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That\u2019s the legacy of this story,\u00a0not just a successful surgery, but a ripple of kindness that will keep spreading.<\/p>\n

Marc ended his note with one final wish: \u201cBe kind. And help other people to feel special, and to feel loved, and to know that they are enough. That they have always been enough\u2026 and help them to feel so overwhelmed with love and kindness, like I feel now, that they just need to pay it forward.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What a world we get to live in where people like Marc exist. Where love wins. Where kindness keeps showing up. And where, thanks to a kidney and an unbreakable friendship, the good things just keep on coming.<\/p>\n

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Justin and his daughter | Photo Credit: Backabuddy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Sources: Marc Ancillotti | Kearsney College | Backabuddy\u00a0<\/em><\/h6>\n
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