Cleburne counselor donates kidney to Crowley police officer

A Cleburne elementary school counselor gave a kidney to a stranger last fall, and the two met face to face for the first time this week. According to NBC 5 DFW, Alexa Nava, who has worked as a school counselor for about 15 years and is now in her ninth year at a Cleburne elementary school, saw a news story during Thanksgiving break about Crowley Police Officer Quan Shaw's search for a kidney donor. After confirming they shared the same blood type, she filled out a donor form. Shaw had been in end-stage kidney failure since June 2023, a diagnosis that came after what his family initially thought was an allergic reaction. Friends who tried to donate were ruled out by their own health issues. Shaw's dialysis nurse encouraged him to share his story publicly, and a Facebook post eventually reached Nava. The transplant was performed Sept. 21 at UT Southwestern. Shaw is now home and recovering. Nava said her own recovery has gone well. Both women said they hope their experience encourages others to look into living kidney donation.