Beyond the Field: Carlos Rodriguez
06/22/2019
Carlos Rodriguez, who was recently diagnosed with kidney failure, stands proud with his father as the torch bearer for the Opening Ceremonies to the 2019 AAU Baseball Grand Nationals.
Carlos Enrique Fuentas Rodríguez is a young baseball player for the Puerto Rican team, Cubs Aibonito. The 14 year-old has been playing baseball since November of 2015, and made the long journey with his club team to the AAU Baseball Grand Nationals in Orlando, Florida this weekend.
You can typically find Rodríguez out in right field of the baseball diamond or laughing with his teammates, but what you don’t notice about Rodríguez is that he was diagnosed with kidney failure less than a year ago.
The news came to Rodríguez and his family in November of 2018. It was stage five permanent kidney failure. Rodríguez has been put on dialysis for eight hours every day and restricted to a regulated diet. “When I started the treatments, it brought on fatigue, dizziness, nausea, loss of appetite, fluid retention, vomiting,” said Rodríguez. On top of that, the disease itself bring on many more systems like anemia, heart problems, high blood pressure, bone problems and toxins in the blood.
Despite all the complications, Rodríguez wanted to continue playing baseball. “I just wanted to try to keep the lifestyle that I had before,” said Rodríguez. With that mindset and the encouragement from his teammates, he still practices with the Cubs as much as his body will allow. “The team has brought emotional support every step of the way and has kept him on the roster with the team,” said Rodríguez’s mother, Wilmary.
“Carlos has a great attitude with what he is going through. His sportsmanship is great, and he has an attitude to support the rest of the team,” said Cubs Coach Ramon Santiago. “It makes it all worth it to me to see the joy in his face when he is having fun.”
Rodríguez practices with the team as much as his condition allows, but is currently waiting for the tests of the compatibility of the family for a kidney transplants before putting him on the waiting list. Until then, Rodríguez is extremely excited to come see his team play in the AAU Baseball Grand Nationals. It will be what Rodríguez calls an “unforgettable experience.”
For the future, Rodríguez hopes to be able to continue playing baseball and study to become an electrical engineer. His mom’s prayer for her son is that “We hope with God’s favor, this will improve for Carlos Enrique and he can lead a normal life like any young man his age.”
You can typically find Rodríguez out in right field of the baseball diamond or laughing with his teammates, but what you don’t notice about Rodríguez is that he was diagnosed with kidney failure less than a year ago.
The news came to Rodríguez and his family in November of 2018. It was stage five permanent kidney failure. Rodríguez has been put on dialysis for eight hours every day and restricted to a regulated diet. “When I started the treatments, it brought on fatigue, dizziness, nausea, loss of appetite, fluid retention, vomiting,” said Rodríguez. On top of that, the disease itself bring on many more systems like anemia, heart problems, high blood pressure, bone problems and toxins in the blood.
Despite all the complications, Rodríguez wanted to continue playing baseball. “I just wanted to try to keep the lifestyle that I had before,” said Rodríguez. With that mindset and the encouragement from his teammates, he still practices with the Cubs as much as his body will allow. “The team has brought emotional support every step of the way and has kept him on the roster with the team,” said Rodríguez’s mother, Wilmary.
“Carlos has a great attitude with what he is going through. His sportsmanship is great, and he has an attitude to support the rest of the team,” said Cubs Coach Ramon Santiago. “It makes it all worth it to me to see the joy in his face when he is having fun.”
Rodríguez practices with the team as much as his condition allows, but is currently waiting for the tests of the compatibility of the family for a kidney transplants before putting him on the waiting list. Until then, Rodríguez is extremely excited to come see his team play in the AAU Baseball Grand Nationals. It will be what Rodríguez calls an “unforgettable experience.”
For the future, Rodríguez hopes to be able to continue playing baseball and study to become an electrical engineer. His mom’s prayer for her son is that “We hope with God’s favor, this will improve for Carlos Enrique and he can lead a normal life like any young man his age.”
