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Two days before Christmas last year, Kathleen Gallegos went to the hospital with what she thought was a kidney stone.

After a round of tests, the doctors told her she was in full liver failure.

鈥淲e were just baffled,鈥� said Gallegos, who noted that she doesn鈥檛 drink. 鈥淚 felt fine, but then later through the night I started turning yellow 鈥� my eyes, my skin.鈥�

Gallegos, a veteran teacher at sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Public Schools, was diagnosed with nonalcoholic liver cirrhosis. The disease is caused by metabolic issues, and symptoms sometimes only present themselves once the progression is dire.

Gallegos, 55, said her stomach now becomes distended with fluid and must be drained every two weeks. It took her three months to get an appointment with a hepatologist, she said, and when she did see a doctor, they told her she needed a new liver.

Because her condition was not as advanced as others鈥�, Gallegos said she was placed low on the donor list, where it might take her three years to get a new liver.

鈥淚 was just so discouraged,鈥� she said. 鈥淚n three years, I could possibly die.鈥�

Gallegos said her doctors proposed the possibility of a living donor 鈥� another person could give her a piece of their liver, and both would regrow 鈥� but she would have to find a match.

Gallegos has taught at Alamosa Elementary School in Southwest sa国际传媒官网网页入口 for 24 years. She is so beloved that three of her coworkers at the school came forward to donate their livers to her. One 鈥� first grade teacher Lorin Ybarra 鈥� was a match.

鈥淚 was just floored,鈥� Gallegos said. 鈥淚n January and half of February, I couldn鈥檛 even get out of bed. I would tell my husband, 鈥業 just want to die. This is no way to live.鈥欌��When Lorin told me that she would donate for me, I started feeling better. Something in my brain said, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e going to live because of her.鈥欌��

Ybarra, 29, said she watched her usually cheerful and upbeat colleague grow drained after she was diagnosed with liver disease.

Gallegos is usually making jokes, and 鈥渁nybody who is around Kathleen is laughing,鈥� Ybarra said. 鈥淎nd she just wasn鈥檛 like that anymore. I just wanted to give her the opportunity to feel normal again, and live out the rest of her years happy and healthy.鈥�

New Mexico 鈥� the state with the highest of liver cirrhosis death in the nation 鈥� is one of 10 states in the country without a liver transplant program, so Gallegos and Ybarra must travel to the University of Colorado Anschutz in Aurora, Colorado, for surgery.

Ybarra will stay there for three weeks, while Gallegos will remain in Colorado for three months to ensure the transplant is successful.

Gallegos is a devoted longtime teacher, her colleagues at APS said. She sews costumes for the school鈥檚 folkl贸rico dance troupe and holds performances for students and their families, said former Alamosa assistant principal Melanie Telles.

鈥淪he鈥檚 that level of dedicated,鈥� Telles said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 not in it for the kudos, she鈥檚 in it to make students successful.鈥�

Gallegos has been forced to retire early because of her health issues 鈥� one year short of the required amount to receive full retirement benefits from the state, but still eligible for part of her pension.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 feel like I made it to the finish line,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 actually had no choice, because if I were to take a leave of absence for one year, we wouldn鈥檛 have an income.鈥�

This summer, Gallegos and Ybarra will have the surgery. The doctors told Gallegos they will have to keep the two separate before the operation in case Ybarra 鈥� who will be moving to Chicago to teach later this year 鈥� changes her mind. Ybarra said that鈥檚 unlikely.

鈥淚 feel oddly very good about it,鈥� Ybarra said. 鈥淪he keeps telling me that if I change my mind, it鈥檚 OK, she won鈥檛 be mad at me. But I haven鈥檛 had any inkling of doubt.鈥�

Natalie Robbins covers education for the Journal. You can reach her at nrobbins@abqjournal.com.