‘There’s always hope’: Abilene actor awaits kidney transplant while in play about organ donation

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Abilene actor Bruce Calvery will provide the voice of Dr. Peter Felker in Abilene Community Theater’s (ACT) upcoming production of The God Committee. The show, about a heart transplant, puts Calvery in a familiar zone as he awaits his own kidney transplant.

It’s what he calls a relatively small role. In fact, you won’t even see him on stage. All of his lines will emit from a speakerphone and read back stage. Even with a “small” part, he has made a big impact on the entire production.

The plot of The God Committee follows a small medical board tasked with deciding the fate of a heart quickly en route to the hospital. Multiple patients are in need of one, but they must choose the one to get it. It’s a story director Gary Varner said could be related to something of a cross between E.R. and 12 Angry Men.

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“It’s about the moral dilemmas that they get into because it’s hard to stay neutral,” Varner explained. “At one point someone says you’re playing God… Somebody’s got to make this decision.”

While these actors take every show seriously, Varner told KTAB/KRBC their commitment to the piece was deepened when Calvery made an announcement just a few months earlier. He told the cast and crew that he felt a special connection to the narrative as he has now been waiting on the kidney transplant list for about a year.

“I’ve been diabetic for 40-plus years, and things catch up to you. I’m at stage 5 kidney failure now,” revealed Calvery.

That’s when the impact of the play really set in, according to Varner, “The night he told us the story, about his journey of going for this transplant, and I think the whole show became personal for us.”

While not immediately fatal, Calvery’s diagnosis has greatly impacted his quality of life. Now having been through 40 dialysis treatments with no end in sight, he said he feels weaker as the failure of his kidney takes its toll. As his doctors relay the hard truths of his condition, Calvery remains hopeful.

“I asked her (his medical provider) how many patients are on the kidney transplant list. She said 115,000, and then she said we lose 4,000 patients a year waiting for kidney transplant,” Calvery shared.

Through that tough realization, he hasn’t given up hope, and the support of his friends at ACT has enabled him to enjoy life a little more while he waits for the call that could come at any moment. Varner told KTAB/KRBC he was determined to have Calvery in the show no matter what, prompting the crew to record his lines for use in the event he is called away for the procedure.

“If he gets the call on opening night and we know he’s going to get the transplant, it will be a very joyous occasion,” encouraged Varner.

Of course, Calvery has other reasons to keep the hope alive as well. A man named Mike in his Shriners/ Masons groups have stepped up as a living donor upon hearing that Calvery was in need. Mike reached out to him after he announced his condition at a social meeting.

“I don’t know if Mike and I are a match, but we’re still working toward that right now,” Calvery said.

While he may not be a match, Calvery said such a kind and selfless gesture was enough to keep him fighting, and the act has strengthened his belief in the need for living donors to help people like him.

“There’s always hope, and with the addition of a living donor. The hope is better,” added Calvery.

If Mike is found not to be a match, the hospital will work to see if his donation can be used in another transplant, and Calvery will remain on his current waitlist timeline. Which, he told KTAB/KRBC he would be overjoyed to know someone else is receiving the help.

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The God Committee runs Friday, April 5 through Sunday, April 14 at the Abilene Community Theater. The cast and crew will hold an audience talkback following the production. A man who has served on real-world organ transplant committees to answer questions about the process. Calvery said he hopes to encourage others to a become living donors with his performance.

The month of April is National Donate Life month, and Hendrick Medical Center will be honoring organ donors and their families with flag-raising ceremonies at all three hospital campuses starting next week.

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