‘New lease on life’: Neumann Goretti’s baseball team helped an alumnus find a kidney donor
John DeRenzi, an alumni board member for the school, received a kidney transplant from Caleb Duffy that was made possible by a connection to the Neumann Goretti baseball team.
John DeRenzi stood alone in the outfield, wearing a mask, to watch the Neumann Goretti baseball home opener on March 19. It wasn’t uncommon for the South Philly native, who’s on the school’s alumni board, to attend a game.
His son used to play on the team, and his daughter dates one of its coaches. He knows just about every staff member, most of them alumni. The program has always served as a second family.
And in recent months, it has done more for DeRenzi than he could have ever imagined.
DeRenzi is recovering from a kidney transplant. He waited two years to find an organ donor, and his connection with the Saints baseball team helped him find his match.
DeRenzi, however, can continue his life because of someone else’s tragedy.
On Feb. 18, Caleb Duffy died suddenly of bacterial meningitis. He was 33. His father, Joe, also a Neumann alumnus, made a post on Facebook hoping his son’s “unselfishness to be an organ donor will help someone in my family and many more.”
His sister, Beth Coleman, whose son plays on the baseball team, reshared the post. That led to a call from Joe Messina, a longtime assistant with the Saints who handles the team’s operations and is in the dugout for every game. He gave his condolences and made Coleman aware of DeRenzi’s need for a kidney.
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A few days later, DeRenzi was one of the lives Caleb Duffy saved.
“I have a new lease on life, and I’m going to pay it forward,” DeRenzi said. “I will always remember Caleb. I will always remember his family. They put more years on my life. That’s the bottom line, is their family put more years on me, so I could spend more time with my family.”
‘Wake-up call’
After being diagnosed with Stage 5 kidney failure in 2020, DeRenzi was informed by doctors two years ago that he needed a kidney transplant.
The news completely changed his life. The 55-year-old knew he needed to make his health a priority for himself, his wife, and four children.
“It was rough,” DeRenzi said. “I got scared. It’s a pretty big deal, and I got nervous — something hit me in the head. I said, ‘John, you have to get healthier.’ I started walking. I started eating better and drinking a lot more water. I stopped drinking any alcohol. That was kind of my wake-up call.”
He resigned from his job as vice president of Penn Beer after 28 years working for the company and began peritoneal dialysis from his home on 16th Street. His bedroom became a treatment room.
Every night around 9:30 p.m., DeRenzi got hooked up to a machine before getting in bed. It would run for eight hours to keep his blood flowing correctly, but it exhausted him physically and mentally. He slept most nights from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m., and by the time the treatment was done by 6 a.m., he was up for the day.
“It was very hard on my wife. I couldn’t sleep with my pets; my dog couldn’t come to bed,” DeRenzi said. “I missed a lot of laughter. Some nights everybody’s down in the living room laughing, and I’m like, ‘What the hell is going on?’ I missed that kind of stuff, but it kept me alive. It kept me healthier, even though it kind of knocked me down.”
DeRenzi couldn’t travel because of his dialysis treatment. He felt groggy most days. However, some things kept him busy.
Neumann Goretti gave him a position as a security guard from 8 to 11 a.m.; he would sit in the school’s cafeteria and converse with the students and teachers. He also enjoyed driving his 15-year-old daughter and her friends home from school each day.
“That ride to me is so special,” DeRenzi said. “I want to start doing it when I can drive again. That really kept me going. … Being at the school was literally something for me to do instead of just sitting around at home. There’s some great boys and girls at that school. The sports at Neumann are very good. I would go to some of the games, and I would talk to the kids in the morning and tell them how well they played.”
Small world
After his daughter’s friend made DeRenzi aware of the Facebook post, he saw that Messina knew the family, and they had a connection to Neumann Goretti baseball — Coleman son’s, Ryan, is a junior on the team.
DeRenzi has known Messina, who’s also on the alumni board, for more than 40 years. So it didn’t feel out of place to call him to ask if he could put DeRenzi’s name on the list to check if he’s a match.
Messina immediately responded, “John, I’ll call you right back.”
“It’s a very difficult situation,” said Messina, who’s been with the baseball program for 19 years. “But they jumped at the opportunity. Within five minutes, we were exchanging information. It’s just a mix of emotions. Here’s a tragic event, but now [Caleb] is living through five different organs.”
Duffy saved five lives with his heart, two kidneys, liver, and lungs, and it’s exactly what he would have wanted, his aunt, Beth Coleman, said.
“He was an entertainer, he was in musicals, loved to sing, loved Disney, loved the Eagles, and loved his family,” Coleman said. “He was one of eight children. Him and his husband have been fostering five children. … We all miss him dearly.
“He saved a father of four wonderful children. he gave this gentleman a life again.”
It didn’t take long for DeRenzi to find out that his blood type, B positive, matched with Duffy. On Feb. 20, he received the transplant surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and is feeling “great” in his recovery.
During Neumann Goretti’s home opener, DeRenzi had the chance to introduce himself to Coleman and her family. It was an emotional meet and greet, Coleman said, knowing DeRenzi has peace of mind because of her nephew.
Each year, the Saints baseball team holds a first-pitch dinner before the start of a season. This year, Messina spoke about the connection of these two families and how there will always be an open door for anyone who comes through the program, even after they leave.
“It’s definitely a South Philadelphia thing,” Messina said. “We’ve been very successful on the field. In the last 15 years, we’ve won six Catholic League championships and three state championships. But beyond the field, the relationships we’ve cultivated and the men that we produce, to me, is just as rewarding.”
DeRenzi and Messina, along with help from the baseball team, plan to host a donor event May 10 at Barry Playground, where Delaware Valley baseball plays, to spread awareness and encourage folks to become organ donors.
They also hope this story serves as a reminder of the power of community.
“Neumann Goretti baseball team, somebody will be there to help you,” Coleman said. “Whether it’s a ride to a game for your kid or a ride home — or a kidney. Somebody’s usually there to give you a hand.”