Diocese of Evansville
Priest and nephew, kidney donor and recipient, doing well
By Paul R. Leingang (The Message editor)
EVANSVILLE—On Monday afternoon, Father Bernie Etienne took a walk near his parish, sorting out the life-changing events of recent days. As he walked through the neighborhood, he spoke by cell phone to The Message, newspaper of the Diocese of Evansville, and reflected on his own feelings and the reactions of hundreds of people to what he had done.
On Sept. 12, doctors had removed one of his kidneys and transplanted it into the damaged body of Eric Etienne, the priest’s nephew.
Three days after the surgery, Father Etienne came home to Evansville from Indiana University Hospital in Indianapolis. Eric was expected to be released from the hospital soon, just about a week after receiving the kidney. His father, Rick Etienne of Newburgh, Ind., said Eric’s kidney function is better than it ever has been in all of his life. Eric was injured in a car accident before he was born, 21 years ago, and continues to require special attention.
The next few months are critical for Eric, according to his family. He will be tended carefully to watch for any signs of transplant rejection. Father Etienne will have to be more careful than usual, too—warned by the doctor to take at least a month off from ministry at Holy Rosary Parish in Evansville, where he is pastor, and to avoid the temptation to dive back into a heavy work schedule.
The priest has been “astonished” by the cards, calls and messages he has received from friends, parishioners, former parishioners and especially from people who have experienced something similar. Many wanted to assure him of their prayers, he said. Others wanted to share their own stories.
“I think a lot of people struggle to find significance in life,” Father Etienne said. “To do something like this just opens a window, to see what a difference a life can make.”
As a priest who has promised celibacy, Father Etienne reflects on the difference he has made in another person’s life, and how he and Eric now have a unique bond.
Donating a kidney to Eric is “a way to be generative in my life in a very real way,” he said. “He’s kind of my kid, too.”
(Go to the website of the Diocese of Evansville) †