Tamara and Mike are joined by Marc Coronel, the founder of Lifestyle Athletics, a former amateur professional boxer and a TEDx speaker. He is living with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) — a rare type of kidney disease that causes scarring on the glomeruli (the filters in your kidneys) — and is a kidney transplant recipient. The three talk about how surprised he was to learn he had kidney disease, and Marc explains how his training as a boxer has provided a framework for helping him push through the day-to-day challenges. 

They discuss his drive to get all the information he could about his health, how he went through the stages of grief after his diagnosis and how vital it is to find people who can relate in a way that no one else can (even your loved ones). Marc shares advice for others living with chronic illnesses like his and encourages them to be vocal, because silence nearly cost him everything.

More resources: 

• Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) 
• Genetic testing and counseling for kidney disease 
• AKF Ambassador network 
• Become a Kidney Health Coach 
• Mental health and kidney disease 
• Kidney biopsy