“Well as you probably know, the kidneys are kinda like the filters of your body. My “filters” have scars on them. Some cells in my kidney have been killed and turned to scars. Protein keeps water in the blood vessels, but since my kidneys aren’t working correctly, I’m loosing all my protein . The water goes to my flesh causing me to be swollen.
It happened on the last week of school last school year… it was weird. Kinda just went numb. It’s like you don’t ever except bad stuff to happen to you, so when it does happen, you’re kind of just in shock.
We found out that my condition may have been caused by high anxiety levels. And during that school year I kept overthinking and freaking out over silly little things…It was a wake up call to change my lifestyle…
One of the things I always tell people about this experience is that I’m not sad that this happened to me. It wasn’t a punishment, it was a lesson. It’s made me feel a lot more grateful for little things in life like being able to breathe without pain.”
-Ana Castellanos, Freshman
Through her journey, Ana realized many things such as habits that she needed to change. She became more grateful and appreciated, she learned life lessons. In the midst of the darkness (her medical condition), Ana found her Light.
Inside an Optimist's Mind 