31 years, still hoping for a PKD cure

Exactly 31 years ago, I was with my mom when she breathed her last in a hospital. It was a day after Mama Mary's birthday. She was 39 years old then. I was a kid then who did not fully understand what happened to her. What I know was that she was extremely sick and she had bad kidneys. "Sakit sa bato" was what the family knew then.

Fast forward to the present. Now I know what my mom had was polycystic kidney disease. I am now 39 years old. My family and I went through many challenges, but I am not losing hope.

There is the PKD Foundation "promoting programs of research, advocacy, education, support and awareness in order to discover treatments and a cure for Polycystic Kidney Disease..."  Researches and clinical trials are underway or are ongoing. Tolvaptan, Everolimus, Bosutinib and even water are some of the agents being studied. Many people are becoming aware about PKD although not so much in my country.

So like what my blog's name says, "Even with PKD, Life Goes On". I go on with my life. I am finishing a research undertaking (not related to PKD), I continue to be a teacher to my students and I blog. I continue to do the things I love to do just as my mom did when she was still able. My mom served as my inspiration. Correction. She still continues to be an inspiration even 31 years after her early demise.

Even when she was already losing weight and weak, she was personally present in my sister's graduation. She continued to be a hands-on mother to us all even when she was not feeling well. She made sure she was there to supervise my homework, joined me in fieldtrips, fetch me from school, prepared my baon. She loved what she does and she did not let PKD stop her.

PKD won't stop me either. I know there is hope for a cure. It's out there. And even if I may not be able to avail it, I just hope I can inspire others with PKD as my mom did more than 31 years ago.