Since 2002 Earl has been living with a secret. Not many people know that he has Polycystic Kidney Disease aka PKD. A hereditary disease passed down to him through his mother, it is essentially the colonization of the kidneys by cysts. Once colonized, there comes a time when the kidneys will not filter toxins anymore and your body becomes so toxic that it takes your life. This brought back memories for Earl of his mother having to go through dialysis and getting her blood cleaned by a machine which would filter it back into her body. This process would occur every three days for five hours.

Once he was diagnosed Earl fell into a two week depression where all he could think about was his mother on that machine.  In recovery, Earl thought that his addiction played a role in speeding up the process but that was not the case. Living with this disease, Earl takes stock in knowing that he still had options to live a longer life, due to his good health.

Working with his nephrologist (kidney doctor) he was given three options: dialysis, transplant or hospice. Because of his health and being a productive member of society, he chose to go with a kidney transplant. Earl’s objective became to stay on top of his lab work and prepare for a transplant.

Now in the process of receiving a transplant, Earl understands the multitude of steps and procedures that such a process entails. By sharing his story Earl hopes to continue the awareness of donorship and show how it is very vital to society at large. According to Earl, there are so many opportunities for human beings to help one another.