Pilgrimage to Lourdes leads to new life for St. Mark’s parishioner

From left, Tom Hicks, transplant nurse Sheila Alcantara, Coleman and Beth Ann

Kavanaugh. (Courtesy photo)

By Emily Woodham

ICR Staff Writer

Tom Hicks describes himself as a “type-A personality.”

“Pretty much, anything I set my mind to, I’ve done-with God’s help,” he said in an interview with the Idaho Catholic Register (ICR). “My wife, Juliet, and I are very similar. We work hard, but we’ve found that [sometimes] God’s plan is bigger than what you can do.”

In 2016, Tom found himself in a circumstance that he could not simply shoulder his way through. Up to that year, five of his 13 siblings had kidney disease, and one of his brothers needed a kidney transplant. He underwent tests hoping to become a donor, but, shockingly, the results revealed that he also had kidney disease.

“I felt great at that time. I had no idea there was something wrong,” Tom explained. “There are no symptoms with kidney disease until your GFR (glomerular filtration rate) is under 30 percent.”

The GFR measures the efficacy of the kidneys to filter impurities from the blood.

At that time, Tom’s GFR was between 50 and 60%. Because he had no other medical issues, his nephrologist allowed him to continue a normal diet.

Although doctors were certain that he and his siblings suffered from a genetic disease, they could not pinpoint which one.

“The doctor basically said to me, ‘Your kidneys are going to fail. We don’t know what it is.’ So, I asked for a second opinion.”

Tom and his family had been living in Huntington Beach, California, where a doctor referred him to a specialist at the University of California, Irvine, Medical Center.

“In 2020, I met Dr. Wei Lau. She was curious, compassionate and intelligent. She asked a lot of questions,” he said.

Kidney disfunction

Dr. Lau asked Tom for permission to consult with her colleagues, then posted his case overview on the intranet for nephrologists, where Tom’s case caught the attention of Dr. Anthony Bleyer of Wake Forest Baptist School of Medicine in North Carolina. Dr. Bleyer’s research included a genetic malfunction that manifests in large families called MUC1, an autosomal dominant kidney malfunction.

“Dr. Bleyer called me and said, ‘How come I don’t know you?’” he explained. “It turned out that the malfunction came through my maternal line. The malfunction in the gene produces a protein that deposits in the kidney, which destroys the glomeruli that filter the kidneys. It’s also binary, which means either you have it or you don’t.”

Tom’s mother died when he was 13 of an unrelated illness. Half of his siblings and many of his cousins on his maternal side are diagnosed with MUC1.

In 2022, Tom, his wife and two children moved to Boise and joined St. Mark’s Parish. He began a special diet of no animal protein and limited plant protein to try to slow down the kidney disease. He was preparing for dialysis, but luckily didn’t need it at the time.

The best option for Tom, who still needed to work and was raising two teenagers, was to apply for a kidney transplant.

Because it can take up to 10 years for a kidney transplant through the donor waiting list, he asked family and friends to consider donating.

“If you don’t have a live donor who is willing to give you their kidney, then you have to wait for someone who has died and has donated their kidneys,” Tom said. “For example, one of my sisters who had chronic kidney disease for 16 years just got a transplant last May from someone who died.”

Although several friends and a family member had told Tom that they would consider donating a kidney, their life logistics prevented them from doing so.

A trip to Lourdes

“In the meantime, my GFR dropped to 20 percent. In 2021, a colleague of my wife’s went to Lourdes with his disabled son. They were very devout Catholics and went with the Order of Malta. They had a great time, and they suggested to my wife that I go.”

The Order of Malta is a lay religious order that was established in the 11th century to “relieve misery.” Among the many charitable works of the order is accompanying “malades,” people in need of healing, to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in France. The sanctuary was established at the grotto where, in 1858, St. Bernadette Soubirous saw apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in which Our Lady declared, “I am the Immaculate Conception.”

During one of the apparitions at the grotto, a spring of healing water appeared. The spring has continuously flowed ever since, and thousands of people have reported being healed. Seventy cases at Lourdes have been verified by the Vatican and local bishops as miraculous.

“I’ve loved Mary my entire life. I was born on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, my dad used to give parish talks about Our Lady of Fatima, and my middle name is after her,” Tom said. “So in 2023, I applied for acceptance to the Order of Malta’s Lourdes pilgrimage. In the beginning of 2024, they called me and told me I was accepted.”

Tom’s faith was tested by his illness, but he never lost hope. He attended daily Mass, prayed the Rosary, went to Adoration regularly, and received the Anointing of the Sick from Father Paul O’Donnell, former pastor and now assistant priest at St. Mark’s. Although he knew he might not receive a physical healing at Lourdes, he wanted to experience the special graces that he knew God had for him there. He went with about 100 malades under the Western Association of the Order of Malta in April of 2024.

“I asked for a miracle, the reinstatement of my kidney function, but I didn’t receive that grace at that time,” he said. “But when you go to Lourdes, you’re healed in one of many ways: body, mind or spirit. I did receive some spiritual healing and solace while there. The presence of Mary and Jesus at Lourdes is profound. I felt it was as if they were right next to me; their presence was palpable. And I felt as if Jesus and Mary had put their fingers on the scale of my life.”

While at Lourdes, Tom met Coleman and Beth Ann Kavanagh, parishioners at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. It was the Kavanaghs’ first trip to Lourdes as volunteers with the Order of Malta.

Volunteers are not allowed to ask malades questions about their health or reasons for visiting Lourdes. As a result, although Tom and the Kavanaghs had met, it wasn’t until they returned to Boise that they truly got to know one another.

“When we returned in May, mutual friends who go to Holy Apostles arranged for us all to have dinner together,” said Beth Ann related. “That’s when we heard Tom’s story.”

A great sacrifice

While listening to how Tom was still waiting for a kidney donor, Beth Ann heard an interior voice say, “If not you, who?” she said the feeling that God was calling her to help didn’t leave.

“As we were walking out of the restaurant, I walked over to Juliet, Tom’s wife, and said, ‘If he needs a donor, I’d be willing to be worked up as one,’” Beth Ann said. Juliet was stunned by the generosity of Beth Ann’s offer. Tom and Juliet looked at each other and asked, “Who does that?”

Juliet and Tom prayed together, as did Beth Ann and Coleman. Then the couples spoke more about the possibility of Beth Ann giving Tom a kidney.

“We took the time to really assess that this is what we wanted to do and decided to go forward with it. I did some of the bloodwork required, and it turned out that I was not compatible for Tom.” However, Beth Ann was undaunted.

“I had read somewhere about a paired donation and so had Tom,” Beth Ann explained. In a paired donation, although a recipient cannot directly receive from a donor because of antibody incompatibility, the recipient and donor are moved to the top of the waiting list on the National Kidney Registry. Another donor and recipient pair is then matched to the first pair.

Tom and Beth Ann spoke with Sheila Alcantara, the transplant coordinator nurse at UC Irvine. She explained and alleviated their fears of paired donation.

Beth Ann and Tom were cleared for a paired donation on Tom’s birthday, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Their information was put on the National Kidney Registry on Dec. 30.

“We were told it would take between six weeks and six months before they could find a recipient for Beth Ann and a donor for me, but the matches came in just 10 days,” Tom said.

Alcantara coordinated their wishes to have the paired donation surgeries on the same day, which was scheduled for Jan. 29, 2025, less than nine months after their pilgrimage to Lourdes.

Tom and Beth Ann went into separate operating rooms at UC Irvine, Beth Ann first. Tom received a kidney from someone in northern California. Beth Ann’s kidney went to someone waiting at Duke Medical Center in North Carolina.

“My transplant surgeon was a lapsed Catholic,” Beth Ann said. “He wanted to talk to Cole and me about our faith and how we came to the decision to help Tom. Then, after the surgery, he showed me a photo of my kidney (they take one to send to the receiving surgeon so they can see the anatomy of the kidney).

When he held up the photo, he said, ‘I have a feeling that the Holy Spirit went with that one.’ I don’t think he’s lapsed anymore!” she said.

Beth Ann has had no complications from her donation.

“I’m doing fabulous!” she joyfully exclaimed. “Through the whole process, God kept telling me, ‘I need you to just let go and let me take care of this. I’ve got this. Do not worry about it.’ I spent a lot of time in Eucharistic Adoration, and I knew it was going to be fine. And it was!”

Recovery

Tom said he feels “fantastic: like a million dollars.”

“My GFR is between 60 and 70 percent,” he continued. “Just before the transplant, I was at 17 percent. When you go from 17 to 70, you feel pretty darn good.”

All of Tom’s other blood test results are within normal limits.

Tom must remain cautious with his health to prevent the medication that suppresses his immune system from rejecting the new kidney. Over time, he will not need as many medications, but will need to be on anti-rejection medication to support his new kidney for the rest of his life. However, freedom from potential dialysis is worth it, he said.

“My doctors are very pleased with the transplant’s success. Beth Ann and Cole have been absolutely miraculous,” Tom said. “This has been a miracle which has changed my life. The entire experience has taught me patience and that God has a plan that is far superior to what you can conceive. Additionally, it became clear about the value of prayer via our family, friends, and even complete strangers. To this day, people introduce themselves saying they were praying for Beth Ann and me. God is so good.”