On an instagram Q&A (@stephan_kesting) I was recently asked, "What is the most unlikely yet fortuitous place jiu-jitsu has come in handy for me?" You might think that the answer was using it to subdue an opponent in some crazy streetfight, but actually my antagonist was far more deadly than that; polycystic kidney disease... Here's the video of me answering this question in … [Read more...]
Kidney Transplant
This Black Belt’s Advice Would Have Killed Me
Back in 2014, an old friend called. He was a very high-level striking coach and an occasional jiu-jitsu student of mine. As we chatted, I mentioned that I was dying of kidney failure due to Polycystic Kidney Disease and was waiting for a life-saving transplant. Holy crap, was I ever not ready for what came next. He went on an alternative health tirade with evangelical fervor... He told … [Read more...]
A Detailed Account of my Kidney Transplant and Recovery
In 2015 I was dying of a kidney disease. I was down to 12% of normal kidney function, my blood pressure was soaring out of control, and my electrolytes were completely haywire. But then on June 8th I had a major, life-saving surgery. The red bag in the picture above was sitting on the shelf as I was rolled into the operating room. It contained my brother's kidney which had been cut out of … [Read more...]