2019 Jim Rhatican

Name:                                     Jim Rhatican

Type of Donation:             Organ recipient

Age and Location:             Age 74 – Berklet Heights, NJ

Transplant Date:                 12/28/2008

Sponsor:                               Honored by NJ Sharing Network

JIM’S STORY

Every Tuesday morning, Jim Rhatican meets with his granddaughter to eat a strawberry frosted donut with sprinkles. It is in these small moments that he reflects on the liver transplant that saved his life 10 years ago, and the second chance that it gave him.

After prescription arthritis medicine damaged his liver over the course of three years, a liver transplant was Jim’s only option for survival.  At the time of his diagnosis, he was told he had two to 10 months to live. Jim received the call that changed his life two days after Christmas in 2008.

Since the moment he woke up from his surgery, Jim has shared his eternal gratitude for his donor and their family. “If it weren’t for the liver transplant and the decision made by my donor’s family, my grandchildren would have only known me through a picture in a scrapbook,” says Jim whenever he is asked about the gift he received.

A retired Millburn High School English teacher and football and softball coach, Jim has continued to educate young people as a NJ Sharing Network volunteer. He has shared his story with hundreds of students at high schools and colleges all over the state, as well as doctors and nurses in hospitals. Jim always says that if just one life is saved as a result of sharing his story, then he will have accomplished what he set out to do.

Jim has also attended NJ Sharing Network’s 5K Celebration of Life every year since 2012 with his team, Rhat Pack, to honor the gift that would ultimately save his life. Although he has not met the family of his donor, he looks to “adopt” the donor families he meets and thanks them for making the selfless decision to help others. That simple act brings so much comfort to those who are struggling with their grief.

Jim looks forward to riding on the Donate Life Float on New Year’s Day, as another way to honor the donor who has given him a decade of memories with his family and friends.