At church I heard a word that I haven’t heard in a long time: Fortitude.
The online dictionary defines fortitude as:
Strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage.
Noticing that the word “courage” is part of the definition, it seems clear that what is needed to “bear pain or adversity” is a combination of a strong mind and a strong heart.
For Polycystic Kidney Disease patients, the quality of fortitude is absolutely necessary.
“OK, Richie,” you say. “But i’ve just been diagnosed, or I’m facing dialysis, or I have to make a decision about accepting a live donor’s kidney. I’m scared and I’m not ashamed to admit it! I’m not very full of fortitude right now!”
I understand! I recently wrote about my panic attack after initially being diagnosed with Kidney Disease at age 16.
Fortunately, time is part of the equation in PKD! For most of us, our disease develops slowly. We have a chance to digest and absorb our situations. We have time to learn about our disease and the “PKD Odyssey” that we’re on.
As we become more familiar about the “world” we’re in, the fear begins to dissipate.
As we connect with others on the PKD Odyssey, and realize that we’re not alone, we begin to develop that “fortitude” that will allow us to deal with what we have to deal.
It seems to me that connecting with others that are on the Odyssey, gives us a chance to “model” the positive characteristics of those who have develop enough fortitude to have overcome the challenges that were faced and are continuing to be faced.
I’ve corresponded with a number of individuals with PKD who seem to be somewhat isolated in terms of connecting with other patients who could provide examples of fortitude that these individuals could emulate.
In other words, the suggestion is that “it takes one to know one!”
If you sense that you, the PKD patient could use an injection of fortitude, I would like to invite you to contact me at:
to discover how to tap into your natural store of fortitude. Having your mind and heart aligned is a powerful “posture” to deal the challenges of PKD and its non-medical ramifications.
Much of life is about overcoming adversity. Think of people who have been unable to overcome some challenges in their lives. Isn’t better to meet the challenges with..fortitude?
I wish you sound mind, brave heart, and good cheer!
Peace and Blessings!
Coach Richie Perl
Certified Professional Coach
Certified Trainer of Neuro-Linguistic Programming
