Hello! My name is Michaela! :) I was diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) at a young age. PKD is one of the world's most common, life-threatening genetic diseases. PKD causes cysts to grow on the kidneys, often leading to kidney failure and death. One relatively rare form of PKD (autosomal recessive polycystic disease, ARPKD) affects 1 in 20,000 individuals, and often causes mortality in the first month of life. I will eventually need kidney transplants when I am older and my kidneys fail. Today there is no cure, but I can only hope that tomorrow there will be. Hope is a quality you need in life. Hope can bring you happiness in the darkest of times. It is optimism at it's finest. I'm glad you've found me on 7 Cups of Tea, so I can share some of it with you while helping you through any type of situation. I'm a trained active listener and I like to support people struggling. I enjoy talking to others, making friends, camping, running, and swimming. I've overcome a lot in life and would like to help by listening to you. If I'm online, then please feel free to start a chat. If I'm offline, then send me a message and we can set up a time to connect. Glad you are here!