by admin | Aug 1, 2013 | Determination, PKD Will Not Beat Me
I sat on the bench hoping that gym class would end before my name was called. In high school there are those that are popular, those that just blend in, and others that stand out for reasons that are “not cool.” The gym teacher said, “Valen, you’re up next.” I cringed...
by admin | Jul 25, 2013 | Determination, PKD Will Not Beat Me, Positivity
“If you haven’t already, you must be ready to go outside and scream,” my father said recently to me on the phone. We were chatting about everything going on and I was giving him an update on my health. This made me chuckle and I said, “You know, surprisingly, I have...
by admin | May 30, 2013 | Determination, PKD Will Not Beat Me, Positivity
It felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest. I was taking shallow breaths as the pain in my upper stomach was unbearable. A light touch of my arm rubbing across my stomach made me want to jump through the ceiling from excruciating pain. I was lying on a hospital...
by admin | May 9, 2013 | Determination, PKD Will Not Beat Me, Positivity
Three years ago today, Noah and I woke up in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Our Volkswagen station wagon was filled with the supplies we needed for our month-long cross-country journey and move from York, Pennsylvania to Auburn, California. It was day number five on the...
by admin | Apr 11, 2013 | Determination, PKD Will Not Beat Me
My big brown eyes popped wide open and I had never felt more alive in my entire life! I have lost track of the number of surgeries I have had, however I know I have always been quite groggy when I awake from anesthesia. But I vividly remember waking up from my...
by admin | Feb 28, 2013 | Determination, PKD Will Not Beat Me, Positivity
I put my pillow on the back of the chair and slowly sat down. Last Friday, I went to my first physical therapy appointment for treatment of a herniated disk in my lower back. (See blog post titled “Lifestyle Changes” posted on February 7th to learn how this began.) I...
