At The Juice, we spotlight educators not only for what they do in the classroom, but also for the example they set beyond it. When longtime reader and teacher Elena Hershey shared her story with us, she wasn’t seeking attention. She wanted to raise awareness about organ donation, which she calls “a privilege.” She hoped that her story could inspire others to consider becoming living donors — and help save lives.
Elena even encouraged The Juice to publish an Extra Juice explainer on kidney donation. Her passion for the topic was personal. Because last year, Elena gave a kidney and helped save the life of someone she once went to high school with.
From Prom Date to Lifesaver
Thirty-seven years ago, when Shawn Moyer and Elena attended the same high school in York County, Pennsylvania, Elena played a key role for Shawn — she was his backup date for the prom. His initial date found other plans, so Shawn turned to Elena, and she agreed to go with him.
Little could either know that decades later, with the two in their 50s and living worlds apart, Elena would play an even more important role for Shawn. But this time, she would do more than fill in on the dance floor. She would save Shawn’s life.
The two lost touch long ago, but in December 2023, Elena learned from a mutual friend that Shawn, now a physician in Glen Rock, Pennsylvania, needed a kidney. In his teens, Shawn had an infection that led to his body rejecting his kidneys, and he had been living on transplanted, donor kidneys since then. He was now in need of a new transplant.
Elena is someone who sees a human need and feels compelled to help fill it. Indeed, that’s what the 53-year-old schoolteacher living in Boulder, Colorado, thought when she heard about Shawn’s health condition.
A Life-Changing Decision
Elena had decided in summer 2023 that she was going to become a kidney donor. “There are 90,000 people waiting for kidneys, and I have an extra one,” she explained to The Juice. “I feel like being a donor is a privilege — because I have been blessed with good health all my life, while others haven’t.”
So Elena contacted Shawn and said that she would donate a kidney. Elena’s blood type was not a match for Shawn, but the National Kidney Registry offers a paired exchange program, which allows a donor to give a voucher to someone in need, prioritizing that recipient on the wait list. They both went through the procedures last year, and Shawn now has a transplanted, functioning kidney.
She told The Juice that her husband worried about the safety of the operation and what her organ donation might mean for Elena’s health and for their marriage. But over several months, she convinced him that the operation was safe, and she needed to do this.
Kidney donation is very safe, and complications for the donor are exceptionally rare. Elena swears she is not someone who would place her physical being at great risk. “I put on my seat belt if I am moving the car out of the driveway, just to park it in the street,” she explained.
Teaching by Example
Elena brings the same sense of care and conviction to her classroom. A dedicated reader of The Juice, she uses our platform regularly with her students. Now that her story has appeared in media outlets around the country, she hopes it will encourage others to consider the impact of living donation — and to recognize that it doesn’t just change the life of the recipient. It transforms the donor, too.
“It’s such a small sacrifice to save a life,” she said.
For her students in Boulder, Elena is more than a great teacher. She’s a daily example of courage, kindness, and empathy in action. And here at The Juice, we’re proud to spotlight her story — one that started with a prom date and ended with a second chance at life.
Inspired by Elena’s Story?
Read more about how kidney donation works in our Extra Juice feature, and learn how to become part of the National Kidney Registry’s paired exchange program.
Do you know a teacher going above and beyond — inside or outside the classroom? Nominate them for a future Juice Teacher Feature at [email protected].