And so it goes.....

"And so it goes, and so it goes...." Billy Joel's lyrics have come to define my life during the last nine years. I went from a fairly healthy woman to a woman who must depend on dialysis to continue living. In 1999, I was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease (PKD) which is a genetic condition affecting the kidneys. By 2004, my kidneys had failed, and I began dialysis. I was fortunate to receive a transplant in 2006, but the kidney failed in 2007. So I'm back on dialysis.

I found that during the years my kidneys were failing, that life continues. I still had triumphs and failures; my children grew and changed and continued their lives; and my husband still worked on his career goals, even as he had to take care of me. And so it goes....

Teaching others about PKD has become one of my missions in life. This disease is one of the most common life-threatening genetic diseases, but very few people are aware of its existence. If a parent has PKD, his/her children have a 50/50 chance of having the disease. The PKD Foundation (www.pkdcure.org) is working toward finding both a cure and an effective treatment for PKD. I'm working toward staying in the best health I can so I can walk and raise money for the cure in 2009. My team in 2008 raised enough money to fund two weeks of research.

But there is another side to my life, I'm not just a PKD patient. I'm a mother, a Nona to four beautiful grandchildren, a wife, and just plain me! As I continue this blog, I'll share a little about my life--past, present, and future--as well as information about kidney disease and organ donation. I hope that readers will find my blog interesting and information.