Remembering Dr. Neal Aquino

Lifeline

My name is Jane. On August 27, 2007 I was blessed to receive one of the kidneys donated by your loved one. I apologize for the length of time it has taken me to write to you. Words seems so small for such an amazing gift that has made such a difference in my life. I am so happy and grateful to you and your loved one. In as happy as this has made my family and I, I know, on the other hand, it has brought you such sorrow. For that I am truly saddened and sorry. My hope and prayer is that in knowing a little but about me and the difference it has and will continue to have on my life will bring you comfort.

I was hospitalized on December 23, 2005, thinking I had pneumonia. Christmas day I was diagnosed with Good Pastures disease. It is an auto immune disease that attacks the kidneys and lungs. It is named after the man the researched the disease. I had never been a smoker and my lungs recovered. My kidneys did not. I was put on dialysis 3 times a week for 4 hours a day. With steroids, a 30 day chemo pill and God, the Good Pastures was gone! During all of this God blessed me with an unbelievable calm. Although my family was falling apart (I had always been the oldest and strongest) I just knew I was going to be ok. I was thankful it was me and not one of my loved ones. 

I am 53. I am the mother of two. I am a Realtor and have custody of my 8 year old granddaughter. I have been blessed with many wonderful people in my life. With the help of my family, friends, Broker and fellow Realtors I have survived.

In pursuing the transplant, I was told I was a difficult match, placed on the list January 2007 and told the average wait time was 5-7 years. My family’s blood type is A+ and I am B+. I did pursue an incompatible kidney transplant with a friend that is an O blood type. I knew if I received the call from he list that it was a miracle gift from God.

Christmas 2006 I stood with my granddaughter to visit Santa. She told Santa all she wanted was a new kidney for her Grandma. Without me knowing, she also asked everyone at school and in prayer every night. As you can see, she is a very special child and I am so blessed to have her. This has made her so happy and relieved. She, of course, went to the hospital with me that morning and stayed in the bed with me until it was time for me to go into surgery. Now we will be able to take the vacation that was planned prior to my illness. Disney, of course, and she wants to go to New York to see the Statue of Liberty. I am thankful for the chance to make more good memories. As you know sometimes that is all we have. 

I cherish this gift from your amazing loved one! I have been and will continue to pray for you and cherish your family.

Much Love and Prayers,

Jane 

……

Dear Dr. and Mrs. Aquino,

We were so saddened to hear about the loss of your son, Neal. He and I were classmates at Xavier and then we were fortunate to work with him on the purchase of his condo. He was a wonderful person and will be sincerely missed. Our deepest sympathies to you and your family. 

Amanda and Jon Hogan

……

Aileen,

I am also a St. Ursula graduate (‘94). You must have been a freshman during my senior year… My maiden name was Jenny Tepe. Anyhow, I was great friends with your brother at Xavier. We were bacteriology lab partners, and I went on to grad school at UC while he was there for med school. We obviously lost touch over the years, but I have always thought of him often. He was such a special person! He was so full of life, and he had a great sense of humor. Mostly, what always struck me was his kindness. He was one of the kindest people that I have ever known.

I am in absolute shock and great sadness today as I just found out about his passing via the SUA winter newsletter. I don’t know why I didn’t hear about it beforehand from Xavier, but this is the first that I have heard. I am in total disbelief, and I am so sad that I missed my chance to say goodbye to him. I am so sorry to your family for the loss. I don’t know what happened to him, and I just can’t believe that he is gone. You and your parents are in my prayers. I can’t imagine how much of a loss this must have been to you. I am truly sorry. The world will miss his presence, and I will miss a good friend.

Sincerely,
Jenny (Tepe) Mayer

Remembering…

Dear Aquino Family,

It is with deepest sympathy that I write to you.  I hope that you are doing okay- Aileen, especially you.

I went to NEOUCOM and met Neal prior to leaving for residency in Seattle, WA. We were friends from March 2003-July and met through Nathan and John. Although I only knew Neal for a short time, I have remembered him since. He came to my med school graduation in 2003 and had lunch with my family. He came to visit me the day prior to me leaving for Seattle during his drive from Cincinnati back to Akron.

He always talked about his family, and spoke of Aileen often. I told him that if she ended up coming to the West Coast to contact me.

He was a quality human being with a fun attitude and had a great heart. He was always kind and thoughtful towards me. He really cared about patients and about being the best ER resident he could be.

Please let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Take care,
Angeli Mayadev

A Note of Sympathy

Please forgive the lateness of this note, but I kept hoping to find the right words, the right moment to let you know you are all held close in heart and prayer. As the cards trickle off, may this one remind you that Neal is and always will be special. Although we in Akron only shared him with you for a short time, Neal reminded me of a firecracker (with manners). He burned so intensely and gave so much—I remember his energy was phenomenal. Even sitting still was tough—he was the champion “pen spinner” on Summa campus! Neal was such a positive force—always a patient advocate, always a motivation for other residents and attending staff alike. Neal wasn’t particularly concerned about things that required him to sit still (like conference :) because he knew his gifts—he could learn that in a shorter period of time! :) Your son was a teacher to all of us. I cannot recall a single moment of my time with Neal that would not have made you proud. Thank you for sharing him with us—He is loved!

Our deepest sympathies remain with you forever,
Sheila Steer & Family
(I was one of Neal’s attendings in EM at Summa)

Thinking of you during this difficult time

I wanted to tell you what a pleasure it was to work with Neal and how sorry I was to learn of his passing. I was working at Mercy WH when he started. What a parade of seasoned MD’s that came there to welcome him! How thrilled they were to have him there. They all behaved like proud dads with one of their own. I was so impressed. You would have been so proud. what a terrible loss. We will all miss him.

Sincerely,
Jenny Walsh, RN
Mercy Mt. Airy Western Hills