We don’t develop courage by being happy every day.
We develop it by challenging adversity.
– Barbara de Angelis
We don’t develop courage by being happy every day.
We develop it by challenging adversity.
– Barbara de Angelis
Does Eating Organic Food Really Matter?
For me, trying to eat organic food has been a necessity. Because of an autoimmune disease I had a kidney transplant. Because of my kidney transplant I take immune suppressant drugs. Because of immune suppressant drugs I can get sick very easily and take a...
Your kidneys: two simple kidney tests to check their health
I’ve just heard of another friend of a friend diagnosed with stage 4 Chronic Kidney Disease, or CKD. CKD is extremely hard to detect, even if your paying attention, but there are two kidney tests that can help you determine their health. The thing about kidney disease...
How About That Time I Blamed God for Everything?
Last winter I was ill with back-to-back “normal people sick.” This was on top of my transplant recovery and side effects from immunosuppressant meds. How did I score on the gratitude scale? Not so good. I decided to blame God and that didn't work out very well. It was...
Lyme Disease is on the rise and I’m Afraid
Lyme disease is a huge topic and it’s going to take several posts. This post covers a brief history of Lyme disease, Lyme disease basics, and steps you can take to limit your chances of contracting it. I don’t have Lyme disease, but I know people who do. Contracting...
Steps You Can Take To Find Your Kidney Donor
If you’re in the later stages of Chronic Kidney Disease, you and your doctor will determine if you’re a good candidate for a kidney transplant. This means you're going to need a donor. I was advised to get on the deceased waiting list even before my initial health...
Why Being on Dialysis Might Surprise You
My kidneys can no longer clean the toxins from my blood. I now rely on a machine to do the work my kidneys no longer can. Thanks to research that began around the time of World War II, there is a treatment called Dialysis. It has saved my life, and the lives of...
What is Chronic Inflammation Really?
My introduction to chronic inflammation was rather sudden. For about a month, I had been extremely fatigued. When I started having chest pains, my GP told me to go to the emergency room. While in the emergency room, the attending physician surveyed all the patients,...
A Few Small Repairs
New home in suburbs. Check. Kid in good school. Check. Pilates business taking off. Check. Kidneys decide to go on strike. Check. …Wait a minute. That is NOT the plan! I am a doer. Maybe that’s because I’m a Midwesterner and I have a reputation to uphold. When I’m not...
How an Orangutan Saved my Summer Vacation
We had not been on a real, non-working vacation since forever. We had to take our fourteen year-old son somewhere, anywhere, before it was too late. I wanted him to share the experience I had as a child of climbing in an over packed car and driving for days....
What Happens When You Practice Gratitude
There is no better time to tap into your gratitude than when you’re sitting in the dialysis chair. When I first started dialysis, I noticed that there were two distinct groups of people: grumpy people and sparkly people. The grumpy people were always complaining....
Hi I’m Barbara!
I’m a survivor of Chronic Kidney Disease, dialysis, and a kidney transplant. My sister donated her kidney to me, giving me the gift of life. I still have other chronic illnesses and am finding there’s not a lot of information on how to heal or take care of yourself. I am now on a mission: discovering wellness daily and sharing my findings with you on this blog.
Wishing you the best!
Barbara
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