Beloved Chicago-area teacher needs a heart transplant
CHICAGO - A beloved former art teacher at Oak Park Elementary School and current employee of St. Ignatius College Prep finds himself at the center of a heartfelt plea as he awaits a heart transplant.
Nathon Rodrigues, diagnosed with heart failure at the age of 44, has battled hypertrophic cardiomyopathy since 2019, a condition marked by the thickening of heart walls due to irregular heartbeats impacting blood pressure.
His father, who also suffered from the same condition, underwent a successful heart transplant, extending his life by 17 years.
Now, Rodrigues, sidelined from his teaching duties due to health concerns, faces a similar journey.
In January, Rodrigues was hospitalized due to symptoms of shortness of breath and exhaustion. Now, he is expressing his aspirations to witness significant milestones in his daughter's life.
"I have a daughter who's 12. None of us knows how long we're here on the Earth. But I'd really like to live long enough to see her graduate high school, get into college, graduate, then get married, have kids and I'd love to see grandkids. And a lot of that hinges on the generosity of other people," Rodrigues said.
As Rodrigues awaits a potential life-saving organ donation, doctors caution that the wait could range from three months to a year or more.
"You don't know. It could happen tomorrow, would be great, but I don’t think it probably is and it could be more than a year, it could be longer," said his wife Elyse Rodrigues, who adds that family vacations are not a priority. "I don't think we're planning on going anywhere because you get removed from the list temporarily, and we certainly don't want that to happen.
Nevertheless, Rodrigues remains hopeful, with a bag packed in anticipation of a midnight call.
"I just encourage people to be kind. You don't always know what someone else is going through," said Rodrigues.
April marks National Donate Life Month, offering an opportune moment for individuals to register as organ donors at LifeGoesOn.com.