Nov. 15-16 is National Donor Sabbath, a time when faith
leaders around the United States discuss with their congregations the
importance of organ donation and saving lives.
Father Jose Chavez of the Diocese of Grand Island recently
shared his story of receiving a heart and kidney transplant with Spirit
Catholic Radio on Bruce Prenosil’s Faith Alive series. His story will rerun
next Thursday, Nov. 14, at 7:35 a.m. on Spirit Mornings.
The following is Father
Chavez’s story:
Father Jose Chavez said he sees life in a new way after undergoing
heart and kidney transplants last year in Omaha.
The pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Elk Creek, St.
John Capistran Parish in Amherst and Holy Rosary Parish in Overton said almost
losing his life to complications from diabetes and a congenital heart syndrome has
made him more compassionate, more present to others and more grateful for God’s
blessings in his life.
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| Fr. Jose Chavez Photo courtesy of The West Nebraska Register. |
Before
his transplants April 25, 2012, Father Chavez was on dialysis three times a
week because of kidney failure, had developed anemia and was often nauseous. Despite
his health struggles, he continued to serve as pastor of three parishes, but was
extremely weak and needed help from priests and deacons to do his ministry.
He initially went to the hospital in the spring of 2011 to
see if his heart was strong enough for a kidney transplant. But his
cardiologist, Dr. Ioana Dumitru, at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha discovered
that the priest’s heart was too weak for the surgery and that it also would
need to be transplanted or Father Chavez would die within six months.
Father Chavez said he was stunned by the news and became
angry, sad and depressed. He felt helpless and hopeless, he said, but started
to re-evaluate his life.
“I
realized that I cannot just sit here and let my life go before me…So I
decided that I was going to do something about it,” he said.
He
planned some trips to visit friends throughout the country, but during the next
six months, his health continued to decline. His kidneys shut down and he went
on dialysis to remain alive.
Father
Chavez said he relied on support from family and friends to help him stay
positive, and to continue his priestly ministry. His parents left their home in
Scottsbluff and moved into the rectory to help, and Bishop William Dendinger
appointed a deacon to assist at Father Chavez’s parishes.
People
throughout the Diocese of Grand Island offered prayers for Father Chavez.
“Once
the prayers started coming through, I started realizing I was much stronger
than what I thought,” he said. “One of the toughest things I had to learn was
that humility is a very beautiful thing. When you see the support, you see the
prayers, you see the encouragement of others and continue to live out each day
basically thanking God for that moment.”
Father
Chavez said he noticed his bouts of depression weren’t lasting as long and
through praying the rosary, he realized he wasn’t alone – God was with him. He
also often prayed to Blessed John Paul II, who also continued his priestly
ministry while he was ill, Father Chavez said.
As
his faith deepened, Father Chavez said he surrendered everything to God. It
happened when he became sicker and had to be taken to the hospital. The doctors
weren’t very optimistic, he said, and told the priest his heart was too weak.
“At
that point I thought, Abandonment. St. Ignatius. Total abandonment of body,
heart and spirit,” Father Chavez said.
He
forgave and asked for forgiveness, and let go of negative things he had held
onto throughout his life, he said.
“I
said ‘Lord, I’m ready. If you want to take me, go ahead. I’m ready. You’ve
given me a great life, you’ve given me a great family, you’ve given me great
friends. Thank you very much, and if it is your will for me to go, then I shall
go,’” Father Chavez said.
Even
though he accepted God’s will, Father Chavez said he was still hopeful he would
receive a heart and kidney transplant.
In
March 2012, his name was placed on the national waiting list, and about six
weeks later, the call came that a donor heart and kidney were available. Two
priest friends drove him from Elm Creek to the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha
for the transplant surgery.
It’s
been a year and a half since the double transplant, and Father Chavez is doing
well and has returned to ministry as a full-time pastor.
Although
he hasn’t met his donor’s family, Father Chavez said he’s grateful to his donor
and the donor’s family and hopes to one day be able to express his gratitude
for their gift.
“Thanks
be to God and to the donor, I’ve been given a new lease on life. I’ve been
given a second chance,” he said. “I’ve been given a miracle of life, and so
it’s become so much more beautiful and I want to share that with people. I want
to help them see that with God, all things are possible.”
Blogged by Lisa Maxson, Senior Writer/Reporter
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