let's goooo

Diego entered the world having to fight for his life. Diagnosed with a rare kidney disorder (arpkd) in the womb, his parents knew that they would have their work cut out for them when he was born. Diego spent much of his infancy in the hospital and even when he was released, he still ended up having to go back quite frequently. It was really the only life Diego knew. He wanted a so-called "normal" childhood, but he was just grateful that he got to wake up every day most of the time.

Due to his health problems, his parents thought it would be best to homeschool him because he would have missed so much school anyway and they thought it was too risky to have him around a bunch of people. So the only kids he really ever spent time with were his cousins and siblings. Diego looked forward to going to his grandparents house whenever he had a chance because it meant he had kids to play with. They were also pretty understanding whenever he couldn't go outside with them. Sometimes bringing fun inside and playing board games with him.

The number one thing that Diego felt like he was missing out on was playing soccer. It was his favorite sport and he watched it whenever he had a chance. But playing it was a whole other story. He would practice on his own or with his relatives when he was feeling well enough, but he couldn't realistically join any teams.

By the time he was ten he was already on dialysis and while his parents knew that a transplant was always inevitable, they had hoped that he wouldn't need one until later in life. His older sister was a match and she always said that she would be willing to donate, but she wasn't eighteen. So Diego waited. Either hoping to find another donor or until his sister turned eighteen and was able to consent. All the while he kept his spirit up high, figuring that it would all work out in the end.

Finally when he was twelve his sister was allowed to donate one of her kidneys to him. Diego felt the difference like it was night to day. For years his normal was to generally feel bad and now he woke up and his body matched how he felt in his mind. Within a year he was going to a public school and actually living a relatively normal childhood. Even going as far as to try out for soccer and other sports.

As much as he talked about soccer, he never wanted to make a career out of it. Instead, he always wanted to be a nurse. Specifically, a pediatric nurse. It often surprises people when he mentions his job as most of them tend to think he's kind of an airhead given his upbeat personality. But he's actually pretty smart. He also feels like he's in the best position to be a nurse. Even if he can't relate to every ailment he comes across, he can still be relatable to the kids he helps and he always remembered the nurses who were nicest to him.