The Latest: Wisconsin 1st-grader gets kidney from teacher

MILWAUKEE – The Latest on an 8-year-old Wisconsin girl receiving a kidney from her teacher (all times local):

5 p.m.

An 8-year-old Wisconsin girl has received a life-changing gift from a teacher at her school.

Natasha Fuller underwent surgery Tuesday at a Milwaukee-area hospital, along with Oakfield Elementary teacher Jodi Schmidt, who donated a kidney to the first-grader.

A statement issued by Children’s Hospital says the transplant went great. It says both Natasha and her teacher are recovering and doing well.

Natasha’s smile and attitude in spite of her chronic kidney disease inspired Schmidt to get tested months ago for a possible donation.

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11:15 a.m.

An 8-year-old girl is receiving a life-changing gift from a special donor at a Milwaukee area hospital.

Oakfield Elementary first-grader Natasha Fuller will be able to do things she’s never done before — ride a roller coaster, play on a sandy beach and take a swim. Fuller was in surgery Tuesday, along with a teacher at her school, Jodi Schmidt, who is donating a kidney to the girl.

Fuller’s smile and attitude in spite of her chronic kidney disease inspired Schmidt to get tested months ago for a possible donation. Schmidt, Fuller and her family were ecstatic to learn the teacher was a match.

Natasha has been living with her grandparents in Oakfield so she could get the specialized treatment she needed in Milwaukee. Her parents and siblings live in Oklahoma.