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Hi, I'm Dr. Kim Logan-Nowlan
and welcome to Live to Be Well.
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What is Live To Be Well all
about? Mind, body and soul but
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a connection to our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ. Today I
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want to welcome Jelani Grady.
Welcome Jelani. How are you?
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I'm doing well.
Thanks for having me.
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Oh, you're very welcome. I'm
excited because we're going to
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talk about restored by faith.
Yes. Well, I'm just going to let
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you talk about what God has done
for you. Tell us your journey.
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Sure. Well you know when I
was young I was probably around
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three years old my parents have
pictures of me preaching from
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the word of God, just preaching
very hard and telling people
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about Jesus. I was about two or
three years old. And I remember
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at an early age then God really
spoke to me and wanted me to be
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in the ministry or to have
influence, a positive influence
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over people. But you know
growing up I had the wonderful
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parents, Dorothy and Ed Grady,
beautiful people. I love my
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parents. I remember them
teaching me all about the love
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of God and I had a true love for
God and my passion was to serve
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him. But as you get older you
start to have influences on you
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and the decisions start to have
to be made of which way you're
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going to go. And I remember that
I wouldn't completely commit my
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talents and my love for God.
I would have one foot in the
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church, you hear that saying,
and one foot out. I would
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contribute with music and
things like this but I didn't
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necessarily give 100 percent of
my talents to God. So I remember
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I went to Great Lakes Adventist
Academy, a boarding school, and
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I remember it was my senior year
and it was almost two months
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before graduation. I was to
graduate and I remember that I
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started to feel funny. I
didn't start to feel well. And I
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remember that I started to get
real tired. I was a really good
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athlete. I was 18 years old. I
was in the prime of my life and
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I used to play basketball,
you know, flying up and down the
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court. And I would just love
basketball and athletics and I
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remember that I went down the
court one time and I had to come
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out of the game and sit down.
And I remember I couldn't catch
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my breath and I knew something
wasn't quite right. And I
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remember that I started to get
really fatigued during the week.
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I didn't have a lot of strength
to move things around and I
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would sleep a lot. And I started
to itch all over my body, just
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started to itch, itch,
itch. Even in my sleep I was
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scratching, my roommate said.
I remember going to the nursing
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staff and they said, Well we
can't really figure out what's
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going on with you but we gave
you some anti-itch medicine, see
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if that would help. Eventually
that died down but I started to
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just get so fatigued I really
couldn't go about my day without
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having to go and sleep and
rest. And so I phoned home and I
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called my parents and I said,
Listen, you know, I really don't
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feel well and I started to
explain my symptoms to them and
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they said, Well see if you can
make it to graduation and we'll
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deal with it when you get back
home. They really didn't know
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how serious it was at the time.
And I didn't even know. Nobody
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really understood what was going
on. So I remember graduation
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came and my parents came up to
Great Lakes. It was a weekend so
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they arrived on Friday. So I was
supposed to have all my things
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packed away and packed up and
all of my books and all of the
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things to go back home. But
I remember I couldn't do it.
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Didn't have the strength.
And when they came into the room
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and they saw all of my things
not packed, they said, Son why
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didn't you pack your clothes.
You know, we're leaving on
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Sunday. And then they saw my
condition and they saw that I
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had lost weight and they saw
that I didn't have the energy
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and they were really worried at
that time. I could just see it
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on their faces. I remember after
graduation came that Sunday we
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were ready to leave and someone
had to help pack my things in
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the car. And I remember sleeping
all the way home. They had to
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physically wake me up to get
me out of the car. So they knew
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something was seriously
wrong. So I found myself at the
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doctor's that very next day.
And I remember coming home after
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they took blood work and these
things and probably about two
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hours later we get a phone call
saying you need to come back and
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you need to go to the hospital
there's something wrong with
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your creatinine. Well I had
never heard of that before, I
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didn't know what that was. My
parents didn't know what it was.
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Come to find out that it's what
measures your kidney function,
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how good you kidneys were
functioning. Well my levels were
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high. So I came back to the
doctor's. They explained to me,
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they said listen, Your son's
creatinine is elevated and we're
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going to need to do a biopsy of
both his kidneys to see what's
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causing this level to rise.
So I remember going in and then
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having a biopsy done.
And the report comes back and
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fortunately your son has a
kidney disease and not just one
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kidney, but both of them.
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Both kidneys?
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Both kidneys. So I'm in the
prime of my life, just graduated
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high school, was ready to go
to college. But now this health
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crisis is now presented. And
so my whole life is put on hold.
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I remember they're saying listen
we're going to try to stop the
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damage that's being caused. So
they said you need to come and
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get this intravenous medication
called prednisone. Now I don't
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you've ever known prednisone.
Have you ever heard of it.
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I've heard of it.
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It is probably one of the worst
medications that I've ever been
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on. And at that time they gave
it to you intravenously, but
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you're supposed to take it in
pill form. But they were trying
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to stop the damage that was
being done to my kidneys. So I
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remember taking it intravenously
and I was real sick. You know,
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it was almost like a chemo
reaction like to a chemo drug.
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I was getting nauseous and ready
to vomit and these things. And I
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had to do that for two weeks.
So at the end of that thing
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they were like you need to go on
medication. We're going to keep
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you on this medication for a
whole year. And so prednisone
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gives you mood swings, it makes
you gain weight, you get hunger
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like you get so hungry that you
almost lose your mind. I mean
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this is what I was going through
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Side effects.
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Side effects are just awful
but the end of this thing at the
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year my mother was like listen
he's got to come off of this
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medication. It literally was
changing my personality. That's
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how bad it was. Wow! So I
remember telling her I don't
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care what happens, I got to
get off this stuff. I can't live
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like this. So going to the
doctor, he said Listen, we're
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going to give you... the
rate that your kidneys are being
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damaged you only probably
have about two years, before you
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have to be on dialysis and have
a transplant. So I remember my
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mother looking at the doctor
and telling him, You know I
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understand your timeline, but
we're Christians and we believe
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in God's timeline. And I
remember he chuckled and to this
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day he chuckles at my mom and
said, You know, I understand all
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that but you know we're the
doctors and this is the timeline
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we're giving him. So we left
that office expecting that this
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thing would happen in two years.
But my mother was a praying
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mother and so she was praying
over my life and she said, I
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don't believe that this is the
case for my son. So I remember
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that each year went by. So year
one goes by, year two goes by,
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three, four, five, 21 years
goes by and my kidneys do not
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fail like that doctor said that
it would in two years. So during
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this time God is really trying
to speak to me saying I need you
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to work with me. I need you to
work for the kingdom, I need you
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to give 100 percent to me.
And so still unwilling to do it,
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still fighting him on this thing
And so I remember in 2013, my
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son was three months old and I
remember that we had to take my
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daughter to a doctor's
appointment. And I remember we
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were on the way. I remember that
day it snowed really bad. So we
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were on the way to my daughter's
doctor's appointment and
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something came over to me where
I felt like I was going to die.
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And I remember telling my
wife I need to go to the ER
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immediately. So she turned the
car around and headed straight
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to the emergency room. So when I
arrived the doctors came in and
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they took blood work. A person's
kidney function, the normal
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kidney function is 0.6- 1.0.
Mine was at 11. And so I was in
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serious trouble and I needed
dialysis right away. I remember
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being in the
hospital for a month...
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From that day going
to the emergency room?
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From the emergency room I was in
the hospital for a month. And I
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remember that they had placed
a port into my side, into what
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they call it peritoneal where
they would use this machine
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to give me dialysis and it would
fill my stomach up with fluid
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and then it would drain it off
and I would be on this machine
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for six to eight hours at night.
So this started my journey into
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being on dialysis. So,
mind you, my son is three months
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and I have four children. So
my wife has to continue now, she
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has a sick husband and she has
four children she has to take
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care of and one is a newborn.
And so the stress on her was
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tremendous. I remember that
being sick is probably one of
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hardest things for a spouse
to deal with because not only do
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they have to still function but
they may have to deal with the
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spouse and help them to be
healthy and take care of them as
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well. So that True in sickness
and in health came to play in
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our marriage. So I remember
at that time, I was fighting God
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on doing the things that he
wanted me to do all this time
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21 years of talking to
me, pleading with me to give
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everything. So do you think
I was ready to listen now? No.
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Oh I was. I was ready at this
time now. I'm in trouble. Now
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I'm sick, now I'm near death.
You know now these things are...
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And I'm like, Oh my goodness.
I hear you God, I'm ready now.
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So a severe wake up call.
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My goodness, I was then now
ready to work for him. And I
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remember going to my pastor,
Pastor Ariel, and I remember
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going to him, sitting in
front of him. I'm like listen. I
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remember grabbing his hands.
I'm like I need to do something.
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I gotta work for God now! I have
to do something, my life is in
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trouble. I don't know how much
time I have on this earth, but
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one thing I have got to do what
God has asked me to do for so
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so long now. I have got to do it
now! So I remember him giving me
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a Bible study to do. My first
Bible study was a terminally ill
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man. Can you believe
that? A terminally ill man. So I
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remember working with this man
and eventually he accepted Jesus
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Christ right
before he passed away...
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Oh wow, Praise the Lord!
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Now this is my first experience
into ministry. From then on I
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began to give Bible studies
and then I stepped into being a
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deacon, then I became an elder,
and I began to preach and to do
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all those things and motivating
people to give their heart to
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Jesus Christ. So
meanwhile I'm still on dialysis.
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The peritoneal dialysis stopped
working [Oh No!] and I had to go
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into the hospital. I was in and
out of the hospital. I couldn't
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stay out. I was starting to get
sicker and sicker so I remember
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a doctor finally coming into
my room and she said, listen, we
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know you want to do the
peritoneal dialysis, it's easier
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for you but we think you need
to switch to hemodialysis. Now
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that's where they cycle your
blood through the machine. [Ya]
00:12:50.90\00:12:53.67
And they put this thing in your
arm, a port in your arm, and
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this is what happens and they
cycle your blood through and
00:12:58.77\00:13:01.34
that's called hemodialysis. And
so I had to then switch to that.
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Now that is very draining and
I had to do that three times a
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week. Now I was working three
12s at the time. And I remember
00:13:11.79\00:13:16.06
when I started that treatment
I was unable to continue to work
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so I remember going on
disability. And I remember my
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energy level was just awful.
Like I would after... Treatment
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would be probably around
three-and-a-half hours. After
00:13:28.40\00:13:30.87
treatment I would come home
and I would sleep for about five
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hours and get up and start
walking around again but still
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laying around. The next day
getting my energy back but then
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having to do the cycle all over
again. And so this continued for
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two-and-a-half years. I
remember at the end of the
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two-and-a-half years I'm
just like man I need to get a
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transplant. I said, I can't live
like this anymore. I remember
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that I started getting anxiety
when I was on the machine.
00:13:55.53\00:13:58.57
I started at the end of my
treatment almost like I was
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gonna go crazy. Things
started to happen and I was like
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starting to get discouraged. So
I remember I said, Boy I need to
00:14:04.97\00:14:08.48
get a transplant. And just to be
clear you're considered terminal
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until you get the cure, which is
a kidney transplant [Wow] And so
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I was living like this for two-
and-a-half years. So finally I
00:14:18.29\00:14:21.69
said, Boy I wonder if I could
reach out to someone and maybe
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they can donate to me. And I
remember putting it on Facebook.
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And I remember going in front of
the church. People were saying
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you know I needed help
with a kidney transplant. And I
00:14:33.27\00:14:37.24
remember that approximately
six people tried to donate.
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You could donate anonymously.
You can go get your blood tested
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to see if you're a
match with the person...
00:14:47.38\00:14:49.48
Okay let me ask you a
question. Sorry to interrupt.
00:14:49.52\00:14:52.52
No, you're good.
00:14:52.55\00:14:53.89
You were on the
donors' list at the hospital?
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I was. I was on the donors' list
00:14:56.36\00:14:57.69
But nothing was coming in.
00:14:57.73\00:14:59.06
Well it's what happens is that
I have O positive blood type and
00:14:59.09\00:15:04.83
so that's considered a rare
blood type and so you're on the
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list but the chances of you
getting a kidney for O positive
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was going to be very difficult
and the timeline for that was
00:15:13.61\00:15:17.45
eight to ten years before
I would get what they call a
00:15:17.48\00:15:20.75
cadaver meaning that someone
would have to pass away before
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I would be able to get the
kidney. So what they encourage
00:15:24.22\00:15:27.16
you to do is not only get on
the list but to look for a live
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donor, someone who can give
you a kidney. Some people may...
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some people don't understand
that you can live a normal life
00:15:37.40\00:15:41.74
with just one kidney. People
are born with one kidney. And so
00:15:41.77\00:15:44.97
live donors are your best option
sometimes just because your
00:15:45.01\00:15:49.04
kidney functions better. Coming
to find out that in my situation
00:15:49.08\00:15:55.12
I was really sick and I needed
to have a kidney to be able...
00:15:55.15\00:15:59.42
Because dialysis is not the cure
Remember that's only keeping you
00:15:59.45\00:16:04.23
alive and assisting you to clean
your blood, but that's not the
00:16:04.26\00:16:06.43
cure. Having an actual
transplant or a healthy kidney
00:16:06.46\00:16:10.50
is what is the cure. So I
remember then reaching out to my
00:16:10.53\00:16:15.77
best friend. He just came into
my mind. I'm like why don't I
00:16:15.80\00:16:18.84
ask my best friend and see
if he would get tested. And so I
00:16:18.87\00:16:22.38
remember I called him up
and he was living in Cleveland.
00:16:22.41\00:16:25.55
His name is Zack Mattox. And
I have to give him a shout-out.
00:16:25.58\00:16:30.29
He is so... he doesn't like the
attention and all that stuff but
00:16:30.32\00:16:33.86
I will say his name over
and over again, Zack Mattox.
00:16:33.89\00:16:36.89
Osachwai Mattox is his real name
But he was living in Cleveland
00:16:36.93\00:16:43.13
at the time. So I remember
calling him and saying, Hey do
00:16:43.16\00:16:46.97
you think you could donate or
try to get tested and see if a
00:16:47.00\00:16:51.37
match that you can help. Because
I was literally so sick...
00:16:51.41\00:16:53.84
Now this is not like asking
somebody, Can I borrow your car?
00:16:53.88\00:16:56.64
You're asking
for someone's kidney!
00:16:56.68\00:16:59.71
And remember now you're
literally needed a lifesaving
00:16:59.75\00:17:03.08
measure here.
00:17:03.12\00:17:05.05
And you didn't know what...
Did you know his blood type?
00:17:05.09\00:17:07.02
I did not.
00:17:07.06\00:17:08.39
That's why you wanted him tested
[That's right] All right go on.
00:17:08.42\00:17:10.19
He never hesitated, never
hesitated. He said Absolutely.
00:17:10.23\00:17:13.70
Meanwhile he has a family.
He has three children and a wife
00:17:13.73\00:17:18.77
and he never hesitated. And
I remember there's four cycles
00:17:18.80\00:17:21.90
that you have to pass in order
to be a healthy donor. You have
00:17:21.94\00:17:25.34
to be healthy, one. [Be healthy]
You have to be healthy. Then you
00:17:25.37\00:17:29.31
have to make sure that your
kidney is functional meaning
00:17:29.34\00:17:34.25
that there's no defects or
anything like that. So they have
00:17:34.28\00:17:37.22
to do an ultrasound. And then
you have to see if your heart
00:17:37.25\00:17:40.89
is healthy and strong. You have
to do an EKG. And the next thing
00:17:40.92\00:17:44.56
you need to know, Is your
blood compatible with the other
00:17:44.59\00:17:48.30
person's blood type. So I
remember he started the process.
00:17:48.33\00:17:52.47
And he would text me. Passed
stage 1. I'm not really excited
00:17:52.50\00:17:59.44
this time because you know it's
the beginning. So we don't even
00:17:59.47\00:18:02.48
know if he's going to be the
same blood type. And I remember
00:18:02.51\00:18:04.65
he texted me again, Passed stage
2. I'm like wow this is really
00:18:04.68\00:18:10.42
happening. [All right] Texted
me again a couple weeks later,
00:18:10.45\00:18:14.26
passed stage 3. So I'm like
oh my goodness there's only one
00:18:14.29\00:18:17.63
stage left. [Yes] So this
is where they see if you're the
00:18:17.66\00:18:21.00
correct blood type. And I
remember he texted me the last
00:18:21.03\00:18:25.60
stage, he said, I am a complete
match! I passed stage 4.
00:18:25.63\00:18:28.77
And I tell you, a just
unbelievable feeling of just
00:18:28.80\00:18:33.48
being so sick and now I have
the possibility to be healthy
00:18:33.51\00:18:36.61
again. I just couldn't contain
myself. I remember weeping on
00:18:36.64\00:18:39.48
the side of my bed, just
incredible tears because I was
00:18:39.51\00:18:42.85
like wow! Being sick for so long
having this issue from 18 and
00:18:42.88\00:18:47.72
for 21 years now I've been
struggling with this thing and
00:18:47.76\00:18:51.19
to think that I could possibly
have a cure. And I remember that
00:18:51.23\00:18:56.70
he called and he said, Man,
I did it man, I did it. And I
00:18:56.73\00:19:01.64
remember that his wife was going
through nursing school. She was
00:19:01.67\00:19:04.67
actually a nurse but she
was going through NPR, nurse
00:19:04.71\00:19:07.98
practitioner school. So I
did not want them to stop that
00:19:08.01\00:19:11.01
process until she was finished.
Because she was in the school
00:19:11.05\00:19:14.15
and you know if you come out of
the program it's very difficult
00:19:14.18\00:19:17.72
to get back in to where you were
I said listen don't worry about
00:19:17.75\00:19:21.12
that. Let her finish. Six months
later on June 22nd, 2016 we went
00:19:21.16\00:19:28.23
and had the transplant surgery
and I just celebrated my third
00:19:28.26\00:19:32.17
year anniversary
June 22nd of this year.
00:19:32.20\00:19:35.54
Praise the Lord. Oh
I'm glad... (Indistinct)
00:19:35.57\00:19:37.24
And he's doing wonderful!
00:19:37.27\00:19:39.57
He's doing wonderful!
00:19:39.61\00:19:41.34
His wife is well?
00:19:41.38\00:19:42.71
She's doing great.
00:19:42.74\00:19:44.08
The Lord is good. [Yes he
is] And you're feeling well?
00:19:44.11\00:19:47.52
Listen, I promise you the energy
that I have. The amazing... From
00:19:47.55\00:19:55.12
age 18 I never had the
same energy. I was always tired.
00:19:55.16\00:19:59.23
But now I don't get tired
anymore. I'm able to run around
00:19:59.26\00:20:02.40
with my children. I'm able
to do things that I could not do
00:20:02.43\00:20:05.50
before. And I'm in wonderful
health. My labs are doing great
00:20:05.53\00:20:09.60
and the blessing that God has...
And he didn't just save me.
00:20:09.64\00:20:14.11
I tell people... I did a sermon
and I called it Saved to Serve.
00:20:14.14\00:20:17.15
[Come on now] He didn't save
me just so I could be here and
00:20:17.18\00:20:21.18
enjoy life. He saved me so I
can serve someone else. [Yes!]
00:20:21.22\00:20:25.29
And my family taking care
of them and then taking care of
00:20:25.32\00:20:28.69
others who don't know Jesus
Christ. That was the purpose and
00:20:28.72\00:20:31.69
that's the reason why he saved
me and so from henceforth until
00:20:31.73\00:20:36.16
I die I'm going to be sharing
the love of Jesus Christ with
00:20:36.20\00:20:39.57
anyone I can and encourage
them to have a relationship with
00:20:39.60\00:20:42.80
Jesus Christ.
00:20:42.84\00:20:44.21
So Saved to Serve. I have to
write that down. Saved to Serve.
00:20:44.24\00:20:48.44
I can only say that truly God is
in your life. You were born and
00:20:48.48\00:20:54.72
raised Seventh-day Adventist?
[Yes, yes ma'am] and you are
00:20:54.75\00:20:57.29
a member of the Oakwood Seventh-
day Adventist Church? [I am]
00:20:57.32\00:20:59.82
And this is where you are a
deacon? [I'm an elder] You're an
00:20:59.85\00:21:02.92
elder. Elder Grady. [Yeah]
Thank you. And serving God.
00:21:02.96\00:21:07.26
How many children do you have?
00:21:07.30\00:21:10.07
I have four children. My oldest
is 19, her name is Hannah.
00:21:10.10\00:21:15.60
And I have a 10-year-old, her
name is Halani. Then I have a
00:21:15.64\00:21:19.27
seven-year-old, her name is
Hadassah and my son, finally got
00:21:19.31\00:21:24.21
a son in there, is five years
old and his name is Josiah.
00:21:24.25\00:21:28.25
Josiah. When you think about
your dear friend... Were you
00:21:28.28\00:21:32.39
classmates?
00:21:32.42\00:21:33.76
This is a great... I'm glad you
asked that question. It's funny.
00:21:33.79\00:21:36.93
Back when a teenager his family
moved from New York to Michigan,
00:21:36.96\00:21:42.83
all of a sudden they moved there
and I was actually visiting
00:21:42.86\00:21:46.50
Oakwood Church, I didn't go to
that church back then, but I was
00:21:46.53\00:21:49.84
actually visiting that church
and he had just moved there
00:21:49.87\00:21:52.97
and his family was visiting that
church. And I remember I met him
00:21:53.01\00:21:56.88
in the hallway and something
told me to go up to him, now I
00:21:56.91\00:22:00.88
know it's the Holy Spirit, but
something told me to go up to
00:22:00.92\00:22:04.82
to him. So when I went up to
him I said, Hey man my name is
00:22:04.85\00:22:06.92
Jelani. Hey my name is Zack.
We were teenagers so we were
00:22:06.96\00:22:09.42
talking all ridiculous. But then
I was like, Hey what are you
00:22:09.46\00:22:13.33
doing here? He said, Hey man
I just moved here. And from that
00:22:13.36\00:22:17.57
moment on we were inseparable.
[What?] And we spent summer
00:22:17.60\00:22:22.44
after summer, we became so close
And he remembered when I was
00:22:22.47\00:22:27.21
diagnosed. He was there. He
remembered when I was diagnosed.
00:22:27.24\00:22:30.08
And to think 21 years later
he's the one that saved my life.
00:22:30.11\00:22:34.45
It's just amazing
what God did. Just amazing.
00:22:34.48\00:22:37.65
Why do you love life now?
00:22:37.69\00:22:41.86
You know, when you're sick
and when you have something that
00:22:41.89\00:22:48.26
is debilitating you start to
lose focus and the devil uses
00:22:48.30\00:22:52.47
those things to discourage
and now looking back on it and I
00:22:52.50\00:22:58.34
see where I was to where I am
now and all of the vigor of life
00:22:58.37\00:23:03.85
that I have and all of the
time that I get to spend with my
00:23:03.88\00:23:08.95
children where I'm healthy and
I'm strong, all those things,
00:23:08.98\00:23:12.82
they matter now more than ever.
So each second I get, each week
00:23:12.85\00:23:18.66
I get, each month I get, each
year I get it's just amazing.
00:23:18.69\00:23:23.16
I meet so many people, but
men who get frustrated when they
00:23:23.20\00:23:29.60
spend time with their children
or I need my ME time. Now we all
00:23:29.64\00:23:34.14
need our me time. Or they're
spending time doing things that
00:23:34.18\00:23:40.35
is not pleasing to the Lord
and some are bound by sin. And I
00:23:40.38\00:23:45.02
hear you say that because
of your relationship... You see
00:23:45.05\00:23:49.66
people don't understand, it's
not just attending church but
00:23:49.69\00:23:53.36
it's a relationship. It's
not just being married, it's a
00:23:53.40\00:23:56.50
relationship. It's not just what
I'm doing with Live to be Well
00:23:56.53\00:24:01.20
but it's a relationship with
the 3ABN Dare to Dream Network.
00:24:01.24\00:24:04.61
It's a relationship that I have
with Jason Bradley, my program
00:24:04.64\00:24:08.11
director. It's that relationship
that I have with my family.
00:24:08.14\00:24:11.91
So you have to put the time in.
So you value being a husband?
00:24:11.95\00:24:17.29
[Right] And value being a
father? A servant in your church
00:24:17.32\00:24:21.86
Now are there any restrictions
at all with your health?
00:24:21.89\00:24:25.29
You know, the Seventh-day
Adventist church has a great
00:24:25.33\00:24:27.93
health message and I believe
that the reason why I was able
00:24:27.96\00:24:32.33
to last so long as well is
because I took care of myself.
00:24:32.37\00:24:35.14
And I believe that I exercised
and I did those things but also
00:24:35.17\00:24:39.44
the restrictions I place on
myself now is that I still have
00:24:39.47\00:24:43.38
to be proactive with my health.
[Yeah] Even more so now because
00:24:43.41\00:24:47.22
I have something so precious.
So working out, eating right,
00:24:47.25\00:24:50.89
getting rest and drinking your
water, all those things that we
00:24:50.92\00:24:54.56
teach and preach that has to
be lived even when you have the
00:24:54.59\00:24:59.29
cure. You still have to monitor
your health. You still have to
00:24:59.33\00:25:02.00
be very careful and calculated
when you're dealing with your
00:25:02.03\00:25:05.63
health.
00:25:05.67\00:25:07.00
So even though we know there
are other people who believe in
00:25:07.04\00:25:10.07
the word of God, they believe
that Jesus is coming again but
00:25:10.11\00:25:14.28
they put things in their bodies.
So you're saying you stay away
00:25:14.31\00:25:17.68
from tobacco [Yeah], you stay
away from alcohol, you stay away
00:25:17.71\00:25:21.32
from anything that could bring
harm to your body, your kidney.
00:25:21.35\00:25:25.79
One hundred percent, and there's
also medications, they're called
00:25:25.82\00:25:29.56
antirejection medications that
you have to take and that you
00:25:29.59\00:25:34.43
have to be faithful with. But
alcohol and smoking and those
00:25:34.46\00:25:39.13
type of things would literally
destroy your kidney. And so
00:25:39.17\00:25:43.54
before that, I believe I lasted
for 21 years because I didn't
00:25:43.57\00:25:47.44
engage in those things.
00:25:47.48\00:25:48.81
All those you did before.
00:25:48.84\00:25:50.18
Absolutely 100 percent. And
even afterward to be healthy and
00:25:50.21\00:25:53.01
keep your kidney functioning.
You have to be very vigilant
00:25:53.05\00:25:57.32
when dealing with your health.
And those things such as smoking
00:25:57.35\00:26:00.36
and drinking or alcohol abuse,
all those will absolutely kill
00:26:00.39\00:26:04.69
your kidney.
00:26:04.73\00:26:06.46
And your organs, it takes its
toll. They said to me the reason
00:26:06.49\00:26:09.26
I was able to get through
my breast cancer so quickly and
00:26:09.30\00:26:11.73
radiation because I did not
consume substances in my body.
00:26:11.77\00:26:17.41
[100 percent] and 100 percent.
You want to thank somebody. Who
00:26:17.44\00:26:21.24
is it that you want to thank?
00:26:21.28\00:26:22.61
You know, first of all, I want
to thank God for never giving up
00:26:22.64\00:26:25.65
on me. That's first of all.
God was so patient and he was so
00:26:25.68\00:26:31.02
loving and so kind. You know the
verse, Yea though I walk through
00:26:31.05\00:26:35.22
the valley of the shadow of
death, you know, I literally was
00:26:35.26\00:26:38.73
walking that path. But God said
son, you'll have to go through
00:26:38.76\00:26:42.56
these things. You may have to
have these issues and problems.
00:26:42.60\00:26:45.97
But I'll be there right with
you. So I just wanted to thank
00:26:46.00\00:26:49.70
my best friend as well. If he
had not been willing and if he
00:26:49.74\00:26:53.71
didn't know God, if he had not
been willing to sacrifice... The
00:26:53.74\00:26:57.75
Bible says that greater love
hath no man than this, that he
00:26:57.78\00:27:02.85
lay down his life for his friend
He was willing to risk his
00:27:02.88\00:27:07.96
health and well-being to save
mine. What an example. What did
00:27:07.99\00:27:11.79
Jesus do for us?
00:27:11.83\00:27:13.16
He laid down his life.
00:27:13.19\00:27:14.53
He laid down his life that we
might live. That's what my best
00:27:14.56\00:27:17.07
friend really did for me.
00:27:17.10\00:27:18.57
And the
organization, real quickly.
00:27:18.60\00:27:20.44
National Kidney Foundation. You
can get all the information on
00:27:20.47\00:27:24.74
that website if you want to look
into that. Also on your license
00:27:24.77\00:27:28.98
there's a box in behind
there that you can check to be a
00:27:29.01\00:27:32.51
donor and literally you can save
someone's life. I'm a living
00:27:32.55\00:27:36.58
witness. Someone invested in me
and here today because someone
00:27:36.62\00:27:39.05
chose to donate their
kidney to me and I'm now living.
00:27:39.09\00:27:43.12
Let me say Jelani we're so happy
that you are alive. And we thank
00:27:43.16\00:27:47.20
you for being a part of
the Dare to Dream Network, the
00:27:47.23\00:27:50.40
family. And I thank God for the
vision. Let's be a donor because
00:27:50.43\00:27:55.40
it could be you or I next time.
God has a reason for us to live
00:27:55.44\00:28:00.08
and that is to live to be well
so that we'll be a blessing.
00:28:00.11\00:28:04.41
I'm Dr. Kim Logan-Nowlan
and remember Live To Be Well.
00:28:04.45\00:28:08.12
God bless.
00:28:08.15\00:28:09.48
¤ ¤
00:28:09.52\00:28:27.50