In 1995 I was diagnosed with Genetic type 2 diabetes at age 30. After spending most of my youth playing high school and college sports, I was in disbelief as to my new found condition. In February of 2008 after being legally blind I developed end stage renal disease and had to start dialysis immediately.
I remember thinking this is not who I am. I thought there was no way I could do this for ever; I was devastated.
Over the past three years I have found just the opposite. The technology amazes me, the patients amaze me, and the nurses and techs amaze me. The fact that I can live a normal life just by getting hooked up for a few hours a day is incredible.
If this were 1960, I would be dead. I can raise my two beautiful children and just recently watched my son graduate and my daughter perform in a concert. Dialysis is far from an inconvenience to me. It is a gift of technology that fall on the backs of caring experts that never gave up on us. Lets never give up on them, by going to dialysis, listening to your doctors, nurses and dieticians, and never giving up on ourselves. The alternative is not nearly as appealing to me.
Webmaster’s note: Our friend, Scott, passed away on June 12, 2012. His outlook on life with kidney failure and dialysis, and his warm, friendly personality will be greatly missed.