In 2009, when I was 17 years old, I was diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD). PKD is one of the most common life-threatening genetic diseases and affects an estimated 1 in 500 people, including newborns, children and adults regardless of sex, age, race or ethnic origin.
I received my diagnosis after a stay in the hospital for an unrelated illness. During an abdominal ultrasound to check and see if I had fully recovered from surgery, they had found many cysts on my kidneys, and I eventually had to visit a Nephrologist for my official diagnosis of having PKD.
A normal kidney is the size of a human fist and weighs about a third of a pound. However, with the presence of PKD, cysts develop in both kidneys. When many cysts develop, the kidneys can increase in both size and weight, sometimes weighing many pounds each. There may be just a few cysts or many, and the cysts may range in size from a pinhead to the size of a grapefruit.My first few visits to my nephrologist were the most terrifying. I heard some scary things. I may never have healthy children or a healthy pregnancy, there may never be a cure for PKD in my lifetime, the cysts may spread to my liver and cause liver failure as well, and the list went on. These are things a normal 17 year old should not hear.
I went back to as much normalcy as I possibly could. I continued to play rugby despite the threat of possibly bursting a cyst, and despite my mother's worried pleas to stop playing (If my mother wasn't stressed enough watching me get injuries and concussions). I was glad to have a handful of very good friends by my side and to have my family supporting me through this point in my life, a point where I was struggling to figure out how to be normal knowing that I was different, and that my life could be on a shorter timeline than my peers, but when you are in high school and college, it can be hard to see any further into the future past your graduation.
There came a point in my life after school where I figured that I want to do something great. When you live your life knowing that there is a constant threat to your health and well being, that your timeline may be shorter, you realize sooner that your life is precious. You need to figure out sooner what great things you want to do with your life.
This makes me wonder, how would my life be if I didn't have a timeline? Would my life be different? Would I have found powerlifting?
While I do wish I could be completely healthy, I am glad I received the push to strive for something better from myself. We all have an expiry date, and who knows, maybe I'll live to 110, maybe I'll pass tomorrow, but whatever time on this earth I have, I want to make the most of it, and be the best me I can be for myself, my friends, family, and teammates.
