the
ki ney
citizen
If You Re
Want to F
Better!
By Jim Dineen
After 25 years as a manager, consultant, salesman, trainer
and presenter, Jim’s consulting business was starting to
flourish. It was then that he was struck with a truly life
changing experience, kidney disease. After losing his business,
his savings, and almost his life, he realized that his physical
health was much more important than he’d ever thought.
Jim has seen much in his life and his experiences have given
him a unique look at what life can and often does offer. He
served with the U.S. Army Infantry in Viet Nam, worked
as a manager and leader of people in a successful human
resource career, survived three years on dialysis, eight major
surgeries, having his abdominal cavity drained over 25
times and a life-saving kidney transplant. He’s a husband,
father, “papaw” and avid exerciser, writer, author, and
professional retiree. Jim knows life and how to tell a story
with his own background as reference material. What he
knows more than all of this is that everyone has a story
and that story should be told. This short story is about how
exercise helped save Jim’s life.
“If you’re looking for that overall, feel good article that
solves your problems and cures your ills, including
10
kidney disease, please keep moving. This is probably not
the article for you. However, if a little work, a little pain,
and the feeling of being on top of the world, in charge of
yourself and what is going on with you, is of some interest,
stay here. This might be interesting!
Have you ever had one of those days where you just feel
like you’ve been in a gang fight and the gang won? You
know, your body aches all over and you’re just worn out
from everything you’ve done that day. That’s how I feel
right now, only I know exactly why my body is hurting
this way. My legs are tired, my arms are weak, my chest
aches and my back is pounding as though I’ve been
digging ditches all day. I’ve just come home from the gym
and I ache all over. I feel fantastic! You may be wondering
if I’m crazy or at least a little wacky. Possibly both but
more importantly, I’m like this every day because I do this
to myself. I love to exercise!
Kidney disease and its countless complications is a
daunting illness to deal with. When I was diagnosed
in 1998, I was a pretty active man for my age. At 52,
I loved to play racquet ball, golf, run, and take long