Bishop Snyder High School Opens - St. Augustine Catholic

Paul Nicholson
the
GIFTof life
By Natalie R. Cornell
Pope John Paul II says, “Transplants are a great step forward in science’s service of
man.” One such example is the six Rhodes children, each has either been a
transplant recipient or donor, or been a caregiver to another. Here is their story.
When James Thomas (J.T.)
Rhodes, 53, found out at
age nine that he had
inherited polycystic
kidney and liver disease--
along with several of his siblings--it
didn't make much of an impression. Nor
did he worry much as an adult because
his mother didn't have to have dialysis
until she was 68.
But when he was 39 and his doctor told
him he'd need a kidney transplant, he
says, “I felt like I was in a twilight zone
when I left the office.”
The disease creates cysts on the kidney
or liver interfering with the organ's
function; internal bleeding also can occur
with any kind of an injury to the area.
It was the beginning of a long journey
for the Rhodes family. All six of the
Rhodes siblings have been involved with
this illness either as organ recipients,
donor, or caregiver and each of their lives
have been affected in many ways. Four of
the Rhodes siblings, J.T. of Jacksonville,
Mary Frances Rhodes, 63, of Melrose,
Jeanne Rhodes Prince, 57, of Lyme, N.H.,
and Cathy Rhodes Kasriel, 51, of Atlanta,
inherited the disease and have been organ
recipients. Patsy Rhodes Robinson, 60 of
Jacksonville and Louise Rhodes Wright,
56, of Baltimore escaped the disease. All,
by the way, are Bishop Kenny grads.
Jeanne needed a transplant first and
her sister, Louise, who tested negative for
the disease, was a perfect match. Louise,
a clinical social worker at two dialysis
centers, says her desire to donate a
kidney to Jeanne was in one way selfish.
“I did not want to lose my sister!”
Jeanne, on the other hand, says she felt
guilty because she knew some of her
other siblings would eventually need a
kidney, too. “I can never pay her back,”
Jeanne says, “I can only try to live in a
way that would make her proud.”
Cathy, the youngest Rhodes sibling,
tested negative as a child and didn't find
out she had the disease until she was six
months pregnant. Knowing that the
disease would cause her health problems
and that she could possibly pass it on to
her children, she says, was a type of loss
that caused her sadness. Now, she says, “I
am grateful for the lessons I have learned
by having the disease – especially for the
realization that no one knows what life
holds. Everyone will die and no one
knows when, so it is vital to live each day
fully.”
Patsy did not get the disease, but was
the primary caregiver for her mother for
six years and took her to dialysis three
times a week. The kids rallied around
their mother and a nearby sister helped
her. Communicating with her brother and
sisters about their mother’s condition
made them a closer family, Patsy says.
Kidney dialysis can be a difficult
process and it is not a complete solution.
For example, J.T. describes feeling
drained, confused, and unable to function
at a normal level during this time due to
the poisons that built up in his body. A
certified public accountant, he lost his job
and says he couldn't even balance his
checkbook. After his transplant his energy
returned. “I had a whole new life," he
12 ST. AUGUSTINE CATHOLIC • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2002 www.staugcatholic.org