Former Student Raises $15K For Dudley Teacher Needing Kidney Transplant
DUDLEY (CBS) -- A Dudley teacher is getting a lesson in just how much his students are willing to go to bat for him.
Matt Morway urgently needs a kidney donation. The trouble is, he's never been as comfortable asking for help, as he is giving help.
Morway, 50, who has called high school basketball and football games on radio for 30 years in Massachusetts, says he has medical insurance and has been working with the "wonderful" transplant center at UMass Medical Center in Worcester.
"I am in the process of kidney failure and am in need of a transplant to survive," says the Oxford resident on his Facebook page. "I consider myself very independent. I tell others that 'I take care of me.' I have done that by losing 130 pounds, eating very carefully, and exercising regularly.
"I have been told by health care professionals that the only reason that I am not yet on dialysis, based on my latest test result, is because of the hard work and discipline I have exhibited in diet and physical fitness."
"He's been my guidence for four years," says senior Davide Sarkodee.
In the 14 years Morway has been at Shepherd Hill Regional High School, he's never once taken a sick day. In addition to teaching history and psychology, he staffs the weight room, and provides radio play-by-play for the school's sports.
His students say he cares much more than a teacher is expected to.
"Everyday he brings in a few snacks for me, slips them in his desk," says junior Jack Hetherman. "He's just a huge help to me, my parents, and my family."
When students found out Morway was secretly struggling with a serious illness, they were shocked and eager to help.
"I'm not a big asker," says Morway, who's never been on Facebook or Twitter.
Morway's students and fellow teachers took it upon themselves to set up a social media network for him. The accounts have prompted people to call the hospital to ask about kidney donation.
"Putting it on Twitter and then saying, 'Mr. Morway, Type O blood, needs a kidney, text me if you know anyone,'" Hetherman told WBZ.
More than $15,000 has been raised via a GoFundMe account created by Garrett Mann, a UMass Amherst student and former student of Morway's.
"While Mr. Morway has asked only for our prayers and support, I feel inclined to do so much more for this great man, a man who has devoted his life to teaching and the betterment of our next generations," he says on the campaign page.
He is overwhelmed by the kindness displayed by others.
"I don't know if I should have this much attention for this type of thing. I really don't have anything big or special planned," he says. "I just, I want to stay here."
What the veteran teacher didn't realize, his students say, is that he's already doing something big and special just by showing up.
"He's just a huge role model," Hetherman says. "Everyone here looks up to him, and we want him to stay."
To donate, visit the GoFundMe page.
WBZ-TV's Christina Hager contributed to this report.
