Two years ago, Nadirah Muhammad made a life-changing decision. Aja Booth is alive today because of the choice Muhammad made, The West Side Academy physical education and health teacher, who had seen her dance student struggle with kidney failure for most of her life, decided to find out if she'd be a kidney donor match.
Through both blessings and luck, the two were a match and the surgery took place on December 15th, 2014. It went smoothly for both women.
Fast forward to today and both Muhammad and Booth are doing very well. Booth, who graduated from WSA in June of 2015, is currently attending Everest Institute to become a medical assistant and is living on her own. She is in good health, and she visits the doctor once a month to make sure the kidney is being accepted. This may be a long process, but it is worth it.
Muhammad is doing very well, also. Less than a year after the surgery, she competed in the Detroit Free Press/Talmer Bank marathon. She attributes staying physically fit throughout the process as a key factor.
Muhammad was thrown into the spotlight for her kind act. Her story reached news outlets all over the country, and she was honored by Nation of Islam leader, Louis Farrakhan, Sr., for her selfless act. For those who know her, she remains very humble about the whole process.
“If faced with the same situation, I would do it again. I have no regrets,” said Muhammad.
