Principal offers kidney.(THE GOODNESS OF AMERICA)(James Friel)

Morgan Corliss, a 13-year-old middle school student in Franklin, New Hampshire, had very modest wishes. She did not yearn for designer clothes or other expensive material things; she just wanted to live the same kind of life as her classmates. In an interview with ABC News, she said she wanted "just to go to school dances and play basketball and just have fun."

However, Morgan did not feel very well most of the time and that severely limited her activities. The problem was Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a rare kidney disease Morgan has been battling since she was four.

"Morgan is showing a lot of symptoms. She gets a lot of headaches," said Morgan's morn, Caryn Corliss, who also suffers with FSGS and lives with a donated kidney. "She always has an upset stomach, feels like she's going to throw up."

"And I just want to sleep all day," said Morgan. Severe fatigue is a common symptom for kidney dialysis patients, who must rely on mechanical filtration of their blood to perform the work of their own failed kidneys.

The only permanent solution was a kidney transplant, but a suitable donor had to be found. Because matching the patient's tissue is essential, blood relatives are usually considered ...