About Us

To begin, if you haven’t already viewed my Diagnosis posts, my name is David Lowe and I am only 27 years old. I have a wonderful wife, Christa, whom of which is in contention for the wife of the century award and a 10 month old baby boy, Mason. 

I guess I can start by giving you the LoweDown or DownLowe on what I was officially diagnosed with. Although it may just ruin some of the suspense in the blog, I was officially diagnosed with Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis, or FSGS and Chronic Renal (Kidney) Failure. FSGS is list as a "rare disease" by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD), this means FSGS, or a subtype of it, affects less then 200,000 people in the US. That's much less than 1 out of every 100 people. FSGS is actually scaring of the glomeruli in the kidneys; your glomeruli are what filter a mass majority of what you eat and drink and keeps your nutrients and electrolytes in balance. Due to the fact that my kidneys no longer working, well technically they are working at a total of 10% but that still isn’t enough, I will be on dialysis until further notice or a transplant match is found. Renal failure is, apparently, fairly serious, and could be deadly. Since my kidneys no longer do their job my electrolytes and vitamins are no longer balanced as they should and have too much of a good thing is actually a bad thing; I have to stray away from anything with bananas in it, well most fruits actually and simply drinking too much water can cause me to basically drown from the inside out. Dialysis is supposed to be a replacement therapy for this, but even going through your necessary dialysis treatments death is, and will always be, lurking right around the corner due to potential complications and infections. The accesses for dialysis can easily get infected and or clogged and cause immediate danger to your heart and lungs. I have always been blessed with the ability to eat as much of anything I wanted and would hardly gain weight, in-fact, there were times where I was trying to gain weight and I could barely put on a pound. However, this disease has rocked my dietary world. Who would have though that I was drinking TOO MUCH water and eating TOO MUCH fruit? Additionally, a vast majority of the food I eat and love have been put on restriction, or even plain cut off.  

My trials that I have experienced have not been easy, although, at this time have probably been considered short compared to other Renal Failure patients. With the growing doctors appointments, dietary changes, dialysis, testing that will be done for the transplant, high risk of infect and further sickness, overall weakness, inevitable visits to the ER for further complications; my doctor has strongly recommended that I be out of work for 12+ months due to that fact that I will simply be unreliable and extremely worn-out. Due to the aforementioned, the bills are still coming and, well, the ends aren't meeting nearly as well as they should; not even close. I have had the greatest of support from my family and friends and most shockingly, complete strangers; I have come to the completely confident conclusion that this was the will of God. I can’t explain the feeling that I have been washed over with since my diagnosis; the best is can come up with is comfort and I know exactly where it’s coming from. If it becomes laid upon your heart to help out, feel free to donate through PayPal on the Home Page. Anything helps; I have close friends setting up garage sales, bake sales and auctions in my honor and donations to those events help dearly as well.

I can’t even begin to thank you enough for merely reading and thinking about me and my family; if you’re slightly religious, your prayers are greatly appreciated as well. Every night I struggle going to sleep thinking about what I never did and may never get to do, what needs to be done, what is in store for my future with my wife and child and, to be honest, your thoughts and prayers clear my head and give me comfort enough to sleep…every night. Stay tuned on my recurring posts for updates on my struggle and triumphs, I'm expecting more triumphs then struggles. Thank you and God Bless!