Former Mets general manager Jim Duquette relishes his baseball analyst role more than ever.
“I definitely got a better perspective of what’s important,” said Duquette, seen on SNY’s Mets pre- and post-game shows and heard on SiriusXM’s MLB Network Radio. “I got a lot more enjoyment out of watching the Mets, as an example, play this year.”
There’s an explanation for that.
For years, Duquette watched daughter Lindsey suffer from a rare, debilitating kidney disease called focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). Lindsey’s kidneys stopped filtering blood, rendering her bedridden for extended periods, too lethargic to attend school or feed herself. Temporary relief came from having both kidneys removed, but that necessitated daily dialysis.
Then Jim donated one of his two kidneys to Lindsey in June of 2012.
“She’s doing really, really well,” Duquette said.
Aside from Lindsey needing to drink 75 to 80 ounces of fluid daily, “She’s functioning like a normal 14-year-old,” said Duquette, 50, who too is healthy since the transplant.
Newfound health fueled the discovery of Lindsey’s penchant for playing the violin and drawing. She created an impressive sketch of Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones. Jim, a former O’s executive, had Jones autograph it.
“She’s a tremendous artist,” Duquette said. “Neither one of us had any idea that she had this type of talent.”
Keeping in contact with about three dozen other living kidney donors, Duquette says they address each other’s questions and concerns.
“I call it the One Kidney Cult,” Duquette quipped.
Living organ donors are considered to have a pre-existing condition when purchasing health or life insurance, Duquette says, so he’s working to eliminate that impediment. Duquette says he’s hoping to motivate more people to follow in his footsteps.
“Congress has tried to pass some legislation which I’m involved with, trying to make some differences in those areas too,” Duquette said.
Duquette was a long-time baseball executive. His best deal ever? Naturally, it’s swapping his kidney to Lindsey for a better life to be named later.
“This one was a net positive from every angle,” Duquette said.
