Surgery

“There was a time where I didn’t do dialysis for a month, and I refused hemodialysis,” says Michelle Obespo-­‐Theus, whose high blood pressure led to kidney failure. She notes her biggest battle with kidney failure was ensuring that dialysis didn’t ruin her high-­profile career as a consultant for major athletes. [...]

“Pete had a stem cell transplant because he had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and the [subsequent] prescription drug interaction is the reason he experienced kidney failure,” says Kathleen Koch-Weser, wife of Pete Koch-Weser, who started peritoneal dialysis in June of 2013. Pete adds, “I’m on PD for nine-and-a- half hours each [...]

"I completely lost my kidney function when I was 9 years old. My mom donated a kidney, but then I lost it in 2004. I've been on dialysis for 11 years," says 27-year-old Monserrat Hinojosa, who has focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a kidney disease that results in kidney failure. She remains [...]

“I was on a gurney ready to have surgery and my blood pressure was over 200. I said that can’t be right, it must be the machine. They tried another, and it was 213,” says 83-­year‐old Arlene Dunaetz. “They couldn’t go ahead with surgery; I could have had a heart [...]

“Everything goes back to my grandmother. She passed away from kidney failure. My mom (left) has it, my sister has it and I have it,” says 27-­‐year-­‐old Antonio Negrite, who has Alport’s syndrome, a genetic disease that leads to kidney failure. “My older brother, who passed away, was the first [...]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSTFZ_mpJC4   Help for rare, frustrating breathing condition Rare condition prevents diaphragm from getting the message to breathe David Powell could not catch his breath. The 35-year-old from San Diego got winded walking up the stairs, exercising or even just bending over to tie his shoes. His favorite pastime, [...]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXAuo9DGyRA   Pelvic-organ prolapse is a fairly common condition that affects some 50 percent of all women in the United States as they age. For Pam McFarlane, the feeling was like "your internal organs are about to fall out onto the sidewalk." The problem occurs when the [...]

I know the surgery was one of the best decisions of my life.