by admin | Nov 8, 2012 | PKD Will Not Beat Me, Positivity
I stood tall as I felt the cold tape measure run down the center of my spine. Mom said, “15 inches.” This was definitely not something I would wish another Mom to have to do. I had asked my Mom if she would measure all of my scars. She started with my first major...
by admin | Nov 1, 2012 | Determination, PKD Will Not Beat Me
My body was starting to wake up from the anesthesia. It didn’t take but a second to realize something was different from previous surgeries. I looked up quickly to notice a new nurse on the right side of my bed. My eyes became huge with panic as I realized the...
by admin | Oct 25, 2012 | Knowledge, PKD Will Not Beat Me
It was several years after my transplant as I sat in a lecture at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine with a room full of med students. I looked up at the overhead projector and saw the MRI of my kidneys before they were removed. My nephrologist, Dr. Watnick,...
by admin | Oct 18, 2012 | Determination, PKD Will Not Beat Me
“Brakes set for Valen. Brakes set for Valen,” said one of our zip-lining tour guides from his walkie-talkie. He was standing on a platform way off in the distance, which was my destination. I was in my harness dangling from a zipline when one of our other tour guides...
by admin | Oct 11, 2012 | PKD Will Not Beat Me, Positivity
“Valen! Look at this!” Dr. Robert Montgomery exclaimed. My world-renowned transplant surgeon cradled the chalk-white kidney in his hands and seconds later, the mustachioed, rock ‘n’ roll music-loving doctor transformed this lifeless organ into a beating, crimson red,...
