Giants call on Rohnert Park boy and other organ recipients to open Wednesday’s game

JP Sanchez has been rooting for the San Francisco Giants for nearly half of his young life, one that would have been cut short if it hadn’t been for his mother’s giving him one of her kidneys.

A Giants fan since he was 6, the Rohnert Park boy has cheered on the three-time World Series champions mainly from the comfort of his living-room couch. However, he’ll finally get to see the Giants in person on Wednesday.

And he’ll be much closer to the players than he ever imagined.

JP, 10, is one of four transplant recipients who will be invited onto the ballfield at AT&T Park in San Francisco as part of the Giants’ annual Donate Life Day, aimed at raising awareness about the importance of organ and tissue donations.

“I‘ve always wanted to be on the field to hang out with the players,” he said.

JP received his transplant four years ago after doctors discovered his kidneys were damaged, likely from reflux nephropathy, said his father, Juan Sanchez. The condition involves the backward flow of urine into the kidneys.

JP will be yelling “Play ball!” at the start of the game against the New York Mets, said Noel Sánchez, the public affairs manager for Donor Network West. The organization is teaming up with the Giants Community Fund to put on the event, now in its 18th year.

A kidney recipient from Pleasanton will throw out the ceremonial pitch. A Modesto boy and girl, who also received organ transplants, will serve as the “Ball Dude” and “Ball Dudette.”

The first 25,000 fans to reach the gates will take home Giants baseball trading cards with organ donation information listed on them.

The ballgame is a great way to get the word out about the need for more organ and tissue donors, Juan Sanchez said.

“It’s such a popular sport. Everyone is watching,” he said, adding that many people don’t think about organ donations, don’t know where to sign up or are afraid to think about death.

In Sonoma County, 300 people are waiting for organ transplants, Noel Sánchez said. Most of them on the wait list are waiting for kidneys.

Statewide, he said, 22,000 people need a transplant. Of those, 181 are children.

JP’s mother, Bertalicia Sanchez, said she never gave organ donation much thought until her son needed the kidney transplant.

She said the family was fortunate that she was a match and didn’t have to suffer the anxiety of JP, the middle of three children, waiting on a transplant list.

“I hope the kids that are (waiting for a transplant) do not give up,” said JP, a sixth-grader at Old Adobe Charter School in Petaluma. “I feel lucky I got this opportunity to get a kidney from my mom.”

Within weeks of the transplant, Juan Sanchez said, the family noticed a difference in their son, who now plays with Rohnert Park’s Cal Ripken baseball league and also is involved in soccer.

“He had a lot more energy and he had a big appetite,” Juan Sanchez said.

“I’m excited for him,” he added, referring to Wednesday’s game. “Just seeing him happy will make me happy.”

A shy boy with glasses, JP said he’s not nervous about the call to start the game on Wednesday. He’s more stressed about the cameras that will be on him, but he said he’ll overcome the fear if he’s to become a sports star.

“When I’m older, I’m probably going to want to play baseball or soccer, and I’ll be on TV,” he said.

You can reach Staff Writer Eloísa Ruano González at 521-5458 or eloisa.gonzalez@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @eloisanews.