Yesterday I finally made it over to my parents house to tell my family the news. I started out by saying that it was bad news that I had to share with them. This immediately caught their attention. I then proceeded to tell them, very matter-of-fact like, that I had kidney disease. Their eyes were huge, and their mouths almost hit the floor. After the initial shock, they began to ask questions about what kidneys do in the body, and what this disease means to me. I know they are all really scared, but they pushed that aside and rallied around me. I can't express how comforting it is to have people you love cheer you on at a time like this. After discussing it at length, I told them I had to work and left. I don't really have to work, but I just needed to get out in order to breathe. This is a huge burden that has been lifted off of my chest.