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A Busy Schedule
A retired locksmith from the University of Akron, Michael Wilson follows his children's activities with great pride. Son Revawn is a linebacker for the Walsh University Cavaliers, and Michael never misses a game. With wife Renee doing play-by-play at his side, Michael records every block, every pass, every touchdown. Daughter Shayna, a high school junior, inspires area churches with weekly gospel music concerts. Every Tuesday and Thursday, Michael is a student himself, completing an undergraduate degree in hospitality management, which he plans to put to use by opening a barbeque ribs business. And three times a week, for up to five hours each day, Michael undergoes dialysis.
Legally blind from diabetes, Michael also suffers from end-stage renal disease. Like thousands of other patients, dialysis has allowed him to maintain a full and active life. Leading-edge technology and staffs of dedicated caring professionals combine to afford a quality of life that just a few years ago would have been unthinkable.
"Even my family couldn't take better care of me," Michael says, "and that's the highest compliment I can give anyone. I can't say enough good things about the staff because they really care about my well-being and they keep me alive."
In the end, that's what matters most. Only a handful of dialysis patients will ultimately receive a kidney transplant; for the majority, dialysis is an ongoing part of daily life. Fortunately, for Michael and other patients like him, it's a lifestyle of vibrancy, spirit and fulfillment.
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