Marcelo P.One fateful day, I fell ill and wasn’t seeming to get any better. My fever was stubbornly high and nausea/vomiting prevented me from eating anything. I remember my mother and I waiting at this [...] One fateful day, I fell ill and wasn’t seeming to get any better. My fever was stubbornly high and nausea/vomiting prevented me from eating anything. I remember my mother and I waiting at this doctor’s office a few days later, and having to do a urine test to see if that would show anything wrong — which it did. The doctor said to us: “You’re leaking blood in your results.” Soon after that, I found myself in a room getting prepped for a kidney biopsy. I was diagnosed on March 21, 1997 (my birthday) with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Now, 23 years later, I’ve battled through: – FSGS diagnosis – Kidney transplant – Peritoneal dialysis – Peritonitis infection (7x) – Hemodialysis/catheters and fistula (In-center, hospital, nocturnal and home — 20 years) – Parathyroid removal – Kidney removal – Deep depression/anxiety – Pain – Addiction – Colitis/fecal transplant – C. diff infection – Diverticulitis – Intestines removal (sigmoidectomy) – Intestine reconstruction surgery