Sometimes, a real live hero can't save the hour. He can only do what he can do, no more.
Carlos Rogers, an average NBA forward and an exceptional man, watched his older sister, Rene, die Friday afternoon. He had tried for several days to donate a kidney to her, but a virus overwhelmed the 29-year-old woman before Carlos could make his great sacrifice."Everything I do now is for Rene," Rogers said Friday night, before he slumped to the floor in grief at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. "My sister fought a long and hard battle. I'm not going to let what my sister went through be in vain."
Rene Rogers died from a bacterial infection. The problem stemmed from medication she required after she was given an earlier donor kidney, an imperfect match, in 1992. Carlos wanted to make sure that never happened again. Of all the family members, his kidney was the only one deemed compatible for his sister.
Such surgery might have wrecked his career with Toronto, even threatened his health. But Rogers offered a piece of himself anyway, as if it were a simple charitable contribution, an autographed team basketball.
"Any sane person would do it for their family," Rogers said.
In the tacky, self-centered age of Rodman and Nike, Rogers became a very different symbol. Maybe other players would have done the same thing. But Rogers got the sad chance, and he was the right one. He never wavered.
"His actions confirmed what we always believed about Carlos," said Isiah Thomas, the Raptors' executive vice president, in an interview from the hospital shortly after Rene's death. Thomas had flown to Detroit to be with his player, and now he was there to comfort a mourner.
"He is someone of character, of strong intentions," Thomas said. "His heart is pure. He understood his responsibilities as caretaker and chief provider to his family. Unfortunately, it took this tragedy for the world to see what kind of man he is."
Rogers, 25, still supports nine sisters and brothers, four children and his mother on a salary of $1.14 million. On Thursday, Thomas had a talk with Carlos about the situation, about all the dangerous ramifications.
Inevitably, Thomas left it up to the player to decide what would be best for his family. The team would not challenge his contract, regardless. Knowing Rogers, Thomas figured out that Carlos was not about to back out of the ultimate personal commitment.
As late as Friday morning, Rogers repeated his intention to go ahead. But doctors told him that Rene's situation was deteriorating. She was heavily sedated. Her brother stayed nearby.
Rogers said the ordeal had left him with a fresh commitment. He would work at publicizing the need for organ donations. He would try hard to become a better role model, as if that were possible.
"We as professional athletes take your everyday person for granted," Rogers said. "I've watched on many occasions when people pushed little kids away and say they don't want to sign autographs. Whether we want to accept it or not, we mean a lot to people."
Carlos said he would drop a wristband, engraved "For Rene," in his sister's casket.
Finally, a real hero in sports. The sad ending doesn't change that at all.