Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Its been a month from my last entry, what can I say. Bad blogger. Anyways, as is the case every year the first month of the summer is crazy busy. Kids get off school, baseball, swim team, my wife finished her semester in school (got a 4.0!), going to our cottage on Lake Michigan, and all the other odds and ends that come with all of that. Overall my health is very good, and dialysis has been going well. I've had many good runs, and bikes, but yet cannot shake the underlying blues that I seem to have coloring my view of everything.

Its hard to say that I am depressed, but at times, even though I seem to be busy, and involved with my wife and the kids, I can't help feel a little lost with the place I find myself with my life. Its not that I'm not grateful for the good fortune I have with my ability to have the quality of life I do have with being on dialysis and waiting for a transplant. It is for what is not there. A lost career, down time with not alot to do, and, selfishly, wanting a bit more money to relieve my wife of having to support us by herself. I know I'm more than pulling my weight with what I do around the house, and with the kids, but maybe its just a male social thing.

I've thought seriously about starting a consultation service helping dialysis patients, just starting out, as well as ones who have been on for a long time, to talk, dialog, and educate through simple but powerful techniques on how to go about maximizing their quality of life, both physically and emotionally while living through this uniquely challenging lifestyle. I do not come from of point of naivete on this idea. As a former practicing attorney, a guardian for abused and neglected children, and someone who does regular speaking engagements on kidney and kidney failure to a number of groups and organizations, a really see a need for a concrete service for all persons connected to this issue. I continue to think and plan on how to put this together. Anyone out there with ideas and feedback, please write back with your comments.

Talking and helping others, as I have found, gives renewed purpose, strength, and hope, to you as well. No matter the problem, sharing with others can really bring help to all of us.