Just before the winter of 2009-2010 I was on top of the world in almost every aspect that was important to me. I was seeing interest from numerous Major League Baseball teams, I was in the best physical shape and baseball shape possible, and along with success, I had my family and friends by my side.
Most importantly before I became sick, I felt that I had control of all these pieces of my life, but over the course of a couple of months most of my life was changed.
In the beginning, it was the multiple hospital visits, lack of control and lack of knowledge of what was going on.
By summertime I had struggled through a high school baseball season and to the Georgia state playoffs. It was around that time that we had figured out that ANCA vasculitis had damaged my kidneys and I would need dialysis to stay alive.
This was when I first questioned my future, whether I'd play baseball, whether this would consume my life, and only because of my grandparents faith I wasn't worrying about this killing me.
It took a while for me to realize that this wasn't going away like some of the sickness I've had in the past. Even knowing that it was likely that I wouldn't be playing baseball or even having a normal college experience, I made the decision to go ahead and attend the college I committed to.
The decision was based not only on the fact that my coach, Tom Walter, kept his commitment to me and didn't cut my scholarship when finding out that I was sick, but also the faith that something good would happen in my life.
That same faith kept me positive when I looked in the mirror and could barely recognize myself, while I was taking the pills I had to take and the during the dialysis treatments. I never had any idea how or when things would change for the better, so I just made attempts to take it day by day.
When the good news came that I had a donor, and it was Coach Walter, the good news began to snowball.
Since the day of the surgery my life has been returned very similar to the way it was before the illness. I have my friends, my health and my game back. Those several months of my life I'll never forget and will be a reminder of how lucky I am.
Life threw me a curve ball, but I had to pick myself up, keep going and never let the disease get in the way of pursuing my dreams of becoming a professional baseball player.
