Following a routine physical, I found out that I had kidney disease. Doctors noticed some abnormalities in my body chemistry and they found out that I had a rare kidney disease called focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. It’s a disease that scars the filters in the kidney.

I was shocked when they told me. I was looked at as the picture of health. As a professional athlete, I was praised because I kept myself in great condition. I had always relied on my strength because I was an under-sized center. I never imagined I would get sick.

After receiving the diagnosis, I kept asking myself what I had done wrong. Then I started to do my homework and to educate myself as to what was going on in my body. I learned that it is a genetic disorder, so it was something I already carried in my genes, and something had triggered it. Next, I started the process of trying to figure out how I could beat it.

When I was first diagnosed I was told that I needed a kidney transplant, but I didn’t want to hear it. I was in denial. I asked my doctor if I was going to live, and he said “Yes.” But he didn’t seem too confident!

I asked him if there is a cure for it. He said, “No, there’s no cure for this. This is probably the worst of the kidney diseases that you can have, and you’re probably going to be on dialysis within 10 to 12 months and you’re going to need a transplant shortly after.”

My third question was: “When will I be able to play basketball again?” He said, “I don’t know. That’s up to you.”

When I returned to basketball after the transplant, my teammates were a little hesitant to engage in physical activity with me. They didn’t want to hurt me. I assured them that I was okay, that we could pretty much go with business at usual. I didn’t want them to treat me like some little girl on the court. I told them that I wouldn’t be there if I thought I was jeopardizing my health.

The key to my recovery was resilience. That’s why it’s the title of my book. I worked hard to stay confident. It’s human to have doubts, but I felt that if I stayed positive, then my body would follow the mind. I’m a very strong believer in that.

At some point, you’re going to have to deal with some sort of problem in your life. It comes down to your mental approach and how you’re going to deal with it. You can deal with it with a negative attitude, feeling sorry for yourself, or you can be positive and confident and focus on overcoming it, rather than succumbing to it.

I could have easily given up. But if I had given up, I wouldn’t be a world champion today. I want people to know that they, too, have those capabilities and their positive mental approach is where it all starts.

Because of all of the things that I had to go through personally and the journey that I had to take, I appreciate life more. This is something that I’ll carry in my heart for the rest of my life

Watch the video: http://www.sharingmiracles.com/