Happy Birthday to my baby sister, Janice. Despite being the youngest of my sisters, Janice is much taller than me. And, not just in height. She stands tall in handling what life dealt her: Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD). Not once have I ever heard her ask, “Why me?” She never whines, complains, or has temper tantrums about the difficult things she has faced, the pain she has suffered, or the way PKD has affected her life. Ahem! The Reluctant Donor has taken note of this fact.
PKD does affect Janice’s life with all its annoying nasty facts. Janice, though, carries on and points out the ways PKD has made her stronger. Yes, she’s had great teachers, as I outlined in my book, The Reluctant Donor. But, Janice stands just as tall and just as strong as those who have taught her how to not let PKD win.
Her successful kidney transplant almost twenty – yep twenty! – years ago have given her years we may not have had. We will be forever grateful for her anonymous donor and want to scream and shout about the tremendous gift it is.
But, there are many hardships no one quite understand with a transplant that long ago. A whole caboodle of issues Janice battles with her quiet way of never whining. As our friend and fellow PKD fighter, Patti Ruffin, points out, “A transplant is just a band-aid. We still have PKD disease.”
Remember Patti Ruffin’s wise observation if you know someone with PKD, or someone with PKD and a transplant. But, most of all, learn from Janice’s grace. I have.
Happy BD Janice and thanks for showing us how to handle PKD with courage and grace. Of course, thanks to your donor and their wonderful gift. May you have a great day and an awesome year!