Personal

			My home town is Jacksonville, Florida which is located in the northeast corner of the state just above historic St. Augustine. It is the home of the Jacksonville Jaguars, an NFL expansion team--GO JAGS!
Duval County (which is also the entire City of Jacksonville - they are one and the same) The St. Johns River winds it way through the Duval County then empties into the Atlantic Ocean which is only 18 miles from downtown Jacksonville. We also have lots of white sandy beaches. By the way, John Grisham's new book, The Brethren, features establishments at our Beaches for some of the settings in the book.

			I am married with no children. I work full-time and attend web development classes at the community college at night. My hobbies are traveling and watching old black & white movies. I also like to volunteer for community services through my church and various organizations. I recently joined AAKP and TRIO (see my Home Page for more information on these kidney-related organizations).

Approximately 4 years ago I was diagnosed with Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). It does not appear to be a hereditary in my family. Here is a brief description of this disease: Glomerulosclerosis is scarring or hardening of the filters in the kidneys (glomeruli). When the glomeruli are damaged they can no longer filter out wastes and fluid properly. They will also be unable to keep necessary substances like blood and protein in the body. Glomerulosclerosis can lead to End Stage Renal Disease in one to ten years. Types of kidney diseases that cause glomerulosclerosis include diabetes. Glomerulosclerosis can also be caused by infection or drug use. Also see my Definitions Page.

Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis will attack a transplanted kidney (80% recurrence). There is on-going research to determine if the real problem is with the blood. A special site to visit is the FSGR Foundation [501(c)3 registration], which is a non-profit foundation to aid in research funding, educate the public and be a source of information. At this site, you can also read about the FSGS research of Virginia J. Savin, MD, indicating she has isolated a factor on the gene strand regarding this particular disease.