Death of Pickerington Central grad Rodney Culver Jr. takes air out of community | Oller

The crushing irony is that Rodney Culver Jr. was betrayed by his lungs. The same organs that inhaled hope and exhaled positivity quit on him. And at the end, when the final rush of air left his body, an entire community also struggled to catch its breath.

Tragedy has that effect, sucking oxygen from the room not because we talk too much but because we are left speechless. When a bright light like Culver Jr. goes out, we are momentarily shocked into silence, until out of the darkness we offer the family an “I am so sorry” that feels both too little and too much.

It also is hard to breathe after getting punched in the gut, and Culver’s unexpected death was a shot to the solar plexus few saw coming. The 26-year-old former Pickerington Central basketball standout passed away peacefully July 17 at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center when his lungs and other organs shut down.

Friends and family already knew of Culver’s long and frustrating fight against a blood clot disorder – Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) – that made breathing difficult, but most in and around Pickerington were unaware of how serious the condition had become over the past month. Culver’s body did not respond well after a procedure June 28 at the OSU Wexner Medical Center, and he continued to struggle until it was determined he would need a double lung transplant. A donor was found July 12, but doctors decided Culver’s condition had taken too severe of a downturn for transplant surgery, and five days later he was gone.

But not forgotten. That would be impossible, given Culver’s impact on anyone blessed enough to have been around him for a minute, an hour or a lifetime.

“We need to keep his name going forward. That’s my promise to Rodney,” said Pickerington Central boys basketball coach Eric Krueger , who worked with Culver as both an assistant and head coach during the 6-foot-5 guard’s four years (2012-2015) at Central. “He was a special kid and a great young man. Very respectful. Tough. Played really hard. Great finisher. Calm, cool and collected.

"We’re not going to replace Rodney, so we’ll try our best to lift up his family and use him as an example for the kids in our program. We’ll talk about  how special he was, how exceptional he was on and off the court.”

Culver’s journey, from freshman season at Central, when the Tigers won the 2012 Division I state championship , to his final hours in the hospital, includes hope and heartbreak. After serving as a Central captain in 2014-2015, the shooting guard attended one year of prep school at Elev8 Sports Institute in Florida, then signed with Ohio University, where he played one season before transferring to Vincennes in Indiana.

Rodney Culver Jr.'s cause of medical issues remains a mystery

The medical issues, which still cannot fully be explained, began when Culver was a sophomore at Vincennes , and he developed some breathing problems that initially required only an inhaler. He had no genetic predisposition for CTEPH and no injury history to blame it on. A more detailed examination in Columbus showed clotting in his lungs, which weakened his heart and ended his basketball career.

“We had to pull him off the basketball court, which was very, very, very difficult for him,” said Culver’s father, Rodney Culver Sr. “But we raised him to have other plans. I knew the ball would stop bouncing sometime and he would need something other than basketball.”

Culver Jr. returned to Columbus to help out at Eastland Preparatory Academy , then used his positive personality and people skills to sell cars at John Hinderer Honda in Heath until his health worsened in March.

“He had an incredible story that, unfortunately, was cut short,” wrote Honda co-worker Zach Cook, who organized an online fundraiser for his friend. "We often encouraged him to write a book about his experiences."

Steady yourself for this next part.

As Culver’s condition further deteriorated, he required full oxygen support. About a week ago, doctors sat down with his father and mother, Sharon Banner, to go over the options. None was good.

“It came down to how to help him leave in a peaceful way,” Culver Sr. said. “It was the most devastating conversation I ever had to have, to make the decision to let my son go.”

Sports take a seat in the waiting room at such times. Basketball was a part of Culver’s life, but deeper realities preceded his death.

“The final day, that morning, I spent the rest of the time talking to him, whispering in his ear all the things I wanted him to know,” Culver Sr. said.

Those things remain private, but Culver Sr. wants the world to know the kind of person Junior was.

'God gave me exactly what I wanted in a son.'

“He was an All-American kid,” he said. “God gave me exactly what I wanted in a son. Very caring and thoughtful. He just touched a lot of people’s lives.”

Seth McCoy is one of those. McCoy played at Canal Winchester when Culver played for Central, and the two bonded while attending prep school tryouts together.

“He was one of my best friends,” McCoy said. “He was a fantastic person, one of those you never got competitive with but wanted him to succeed in whatever he did. He was a kid who was really easy to root for.”

Young people who ooze confidence are everywhere. Less common are those who believe in others as much as in themselves. Rarer still are those who exude a kind of generosity that deepens our faith in goodness. Combine all that with a gentle spirit and it’s no wonder more than 200 people showed up Monday at Victory Park in Pickerington for a vigil that served as tribute to the player dubbed “Hot Rod.”

“I’ve heard several different explanations why 'Hot Rod,' ” Culver’s mother said. “One is that once he got on the court, he turned it up a notch. Normally, he was a chill, quiet guy, but once on the court, he was aggressive and tenacious. He loved competition and completely switched to a new persona that was 'Hot Rod.' ”

Culver leaves behind his parents, younger sisters Moriah and Sanai, dozens of friends and hundreds of acquaintances whose days were brightened by his presence.

“Rodney was a very charismatic young man,” his mother said. “He lit up the room with his infectious smile and big heart, and he was kind to anyone and everyone. He cherished his interactions with people and always tried to find the positive with anyone. He was the perfect son and selfless and amazing big brother. Respectful. Obedient. Just an all-around good person.”

My heart aches for Sharon and the Culver family. My lungs want to scream “Why him?” Those lungs still work. Unlike Rodney’s. Dammit.

roller@dispatch.com

@rollerCD

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Death of Pickerington Central grad Rodney Culver Jr. takes air out of community | Oller