When I was 4, my body swelled up for no apparent reason. My parents rushed me to CHOP, where I was diagnosed with minimal change disease (MCD), a condition that damages the kidneys’ filtration barrier.
High-dose steroid treatments can put MCD patients in remission, but relapses are common, along with many side effects. I went through that cycle for five years under the care of Dr. Benjamin Laskin and the Division of Nephrology. CHOP never felt scary to me. During my many trips to the hospital, I was fascinated by the Rube Goldberg machine in the atrium.
While managing my condition, my parents encouraged me to lead an active life, and I continued to swim and play soccer and tennis. Eventually, I stopped relapsing — just a few months before my mom, a marathoner, was hit by a car during her morning run. Unable to run while she healed, she switched to swimming.
Watching my mom persevere throughout her recovery inspired me to join her in swimming competitions. Our first race together was a one-mile ocean swim at the Jersey Shore. Eventually, my mom could run again, and we did our first sprint triathlon together, completing a 750-meter swim, a 20-kilometer bike ride and a 5-kilometer run. We’ve since done more than 30 events, and my younger sister has started to race with us. My dad serves as team manager, handling logistics behind the scenes.
No matter how hard a race is, nothing compares to the joy I feel when finishing. After my recovery from MCD and my mom’s recovery from her injuries, crossing the finish line carries special meaning for both of us.
I still see Dr. Laskin for check-ups, and I fondly think of him as my teammate. When we met, he had just finished his fellowship. Now he’s Chief of Nephrology at CHOP.
Everything CHOP did for me makes me want to give back, so I have done several triathlons to raise funds for nephrology research. My mom and I also volunteer with the Glomerular Learning Network, a collaborative of nine pediatric institutions — including CHOP — dedicated to supporting kids with kidney conditions.
I recovered because of CHOP and all the people who cared for me, and I’d like that to be the case for all sick children. Anything I can do to make that happen, count me in.
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When I was 4, my body swelled up for no apparent reason. My parents rushed me to CHOP, where I was diagnosed with minimal change disease (MCD), a condition that damages the kidneys’ filtration barrier.
High-dose steroid treatments can put MCD patients in remission, but relapses are common, along with many side effects. I went through that cycle for five years under the care of Dr. Benjamin Laskin and the Division of Nephrology. CHOP never felt scary to me. During my many trips to the hospital, I was fascinated by the Rube Goldberg machine in the atrium.
While managing my condition, my parents encouraged me to lead an active life, and I continued to swim and play soccer and tennis. Eventually, I stopped relapsing — just a few months before my mom, a marathoner, was hit by a car during her morning run. Unable to run while she healed, she switched to swimming.
Watching my mom persevere throughout her recovery inspired me to join her in swimming competitions. Our first race together was a one-mile ocean swim at the Jersey Shore. Eventually, my mom could run again, and we did our first sprint triathlon together, completing a 750-meter swim, a 20-kilometer bike ride and a 5-kilometer run. We’ve since done more than 30 events, and my younger sister has started to race with us. My dad serves as team manager, handling logistics behind the scenes.
No matter how hard a race is, nothing compares to the joy I feel when finishing. After my recovery from MCD and my mom’s recovery from her injuries, crossing the finish line carries special meaning for both of us.
I still see Dr. Laskin for check-ups, and I fondly think of him as my teammate. When we met, he had just finished his fellowship. Now he’s Chief of Nephrology at CHOP.
Everything CHOP did for me makes me want to give back, so I have done several triathlons to raise funds for nephrology research. My mom and I also volunteer with the Glomerular Learning Network, a collaborative of nine pediatric institutions — including CHOP — dedicated to supporting kids with kidney conditions.
I recovered because of CHOP and all the people who cared for me, and I’d like that to be the case for all sick children. Anything I can do to make that happen, count me in.
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