TOLEDO Pasquale brothers' kidney surgery 'a success'

The ex-Chaney and Akron guards teamed for a kidney block in the game of life.
By JOHN KOVACH
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
TOLEDO -- Ron Pasquale did a great thing. He gave his left kidney to his brother, Bill Pasquale, who was in renal failure and on dialysis for the past 1 1/2 years as both kidneys failed to function.
Then Ron found a way to make light of what had been a critical situation last week before the kidney transplant surgery was performed at the Medical College of Ohio in Toledo.
"The good thing is that we did an IQ test after, and [Bill] got a little bit smarter," jested Ron, speaking from the Hilton Hotel where he and his brother were staying while recovering from the twin surgeries. And, "I gave him a 40-year warranty."
And Bill, who now has Ron's left kidney in his abdomen, "looked better already, and that's one of the things we learned on the Internet [is] that it kicks in right away," added Ron.
Another successful block
In other words, the two Pasquale brothers, both Youngstown natives and former football guards for Chaney High and the University of Akron, have teamed up again for another successful block -- this time in the game of life.
Matt Lockwood of the media relations at MCO said the surgery "was considered a success." And that, "Bill said that as soon as he woke up, he instantly felt better. This is a typical reaction."
Lockwood said that, "Dr. Matthew Rutter took the kidney out of Ron and then Dr. Michael Rees put the kidney into Bill. This took place Thursday, July 24, and Ron was out of the hospital Saturday, July 26 and walking around and doing fine."
Bill was discharged Wednesday.
Realized his role
Ron, who graduated from Chaney in 1982 and Akron in 1987 and then got his master's in business administration from Youngstown State, said he didn't find out how sick his brother really was until last March, when he then realized what he had to do.
"Bill kept it a big secret. He didn't even tell my mother about it because he didn't want to worry anybody," said Ron, noting that only he, Bill and their wives knew about it.
Ron is married to the former Laura Hamilton from Poland and Cardinal Mooney High, while Bill's wife is the former Jean Luth from Chaney High. The brothers' parents are William and Susan Pasquale of Youngstown.
"I did a lot of research about it, and that donorship is the way to go," explained Ron, who lives in Overland Park, Kan., and works for Sprint.
Bill's background
Bill graduated from Chaney in 1980 and Akron in 1985 and also got an MBA from Madonna University in Livonia, Mich. He now lives in Novi, Mich., and works as a safety manager for the city of Detroit, overseeing the people-mover train system.
The brothers played football for coach Ed Matey at Chaney and Jim Dennison at Akron. Dennison now coaches at Walsh University. Ron served as a team captain.
Ron said Bill is part of a trial experiment with a new drug, and will be monitored every two days for about a month while making the one-hour drive from Novi to the MCO for testing.
"The big thing they are looking for is that the kidney won't go into rejection," said Ron, who is optimistic. "The benefit of the living donor is that the average life expectancy of that organ is 13 years, while for a cadaver it is eight years."
Ron's recovery period
Ron said his own "follow-up period is six weeks, then six months and then a year to make sure [his one] kidney can handle functions on its own."
Ron said that Bill has been a collegiate football referee in NAIA and NCAA Division II, and will have to be extremely careful to avoid contact and may have to adjust his positions on the field.
"If he is going to ref, he may not want to stay behind players, and should get some padding for protection," said Ron.
kovach@vindy.com