A Second Chance Magazine

2nd Edition

A

Dec 1,2022

SECOND

Chance Magazine

2nd Edition

Dec 1,2022

TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 2-3: Table of Contents Page :4-6 Q&A with Philip jones and Artavius Veasey Page:7-8The Journey of Jonathan Traylor Page:9-10 Q&A with Jared A. Brown Page: 11-13 The Life & Transplant Story of Kent Bressler Page: 14-15 The Story Behind Camille Cook and The Development of Creamy Crack Body Cream

2nd Edition

Dec 1,2022

TABLE OF CONTENTS Page:16-17 Motivation With Fred Hill Page:18-19 Chef Alana's Culinary Corner Page: 20-21 Exercise and Nutrition with Coach Cook Page: 22-24Seer Spotlight with Jennifer Ford Page 25-Dedication Page 26-28Advertisement

Q&A With Philip Jones & Artavius Veasey 1.What was the most challenging aspect of acquiring your own Brand label?

Philip: The hardest Part is finding the right people to have a brand with and to make sure you are using the right platforms for production.

Artavius: My most challenging aspect was understanding my positioning to what makes me different from others and establishing trust with my target audience.

2. Whats the 1st thing you do to research and approach a particular acting role?

Philip: That depends on the role. Some just come naturally for me and some i do extensive research on a character or if im playing a real person i Check out some films or plays already done by other actors so i dont do the same exact thing they did and give my own performance.

Artavius: The first thing I always do when receiving the script for a new role or character, I ask for the backstory of my character first from the director or screenwriter. Understanding the character development is what gives each character purpose; this helps you understand the emotions and reasoning behind the character's actions, helping you step into the character bit easier.

3. Describe your experience when on stage or in a media platform?

Philip: I try to connect with the audience before every performance. 15 min before every performance i walk through the audience just to get a feel.

Artavius: There are always nerves that come up and fear of drawing a blank while on stage. But one thing I do to help with the nerves is to affirm myself that I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be, I'm worthy of the position, and this role or engagement is bigger than me, and I'm here to be a blessing to someone who needed to hear or see this character and message.

4. What was the most challenging aspect of your Transplant experience before and Post transplant?

Philip: Honeslty I think it was keeping up with all the meds i was taking because taking so many were rather new to me Artavius: Before: Being on dialysis as a teenager (13 years old), I always feared passing before fulfilling my purpose in life or what God had in stored for me.

After: My doctors or cargivers didn't prepare me for the mental exhaustion and trauma that came with being on dialysis.

5. Are their cost involved when obtaining your own Brand?

Philip:Yes.. Theres a lot of research involved when obtaining the right platforms for the different areas of a brand.

Artavius:There's a cost to everything, of course, one way or another. But first things first, acquire your business liscense, register with you state, and copyright or trademark your logo. Price points vary per state, but get these things in order as soon as you can to be an established legit business.

6. Is their any marketing support for Branding such as loyalty programs and merchandising to help market and promote your Organization?

Philip: Some brands have those options and some dont its up to the creator or development team.

Artavius:I don't know of any loyalty programs, but if you're not a designer, you can use Fiverr or Upwork to pay someone to design your branding and marketing; this will help you establish your brand identity and execute consistently through your social media channels.

7. Did you ever try and reach out to your Donor family? Why or why not?

Philip: Yes Because i wanted to know who saved my life by saying yes. And i wanted them to know what that Kidney was doing for me and i wasnt taking it for granted.

Artavius:No, I had a living donor, and he was my dad.

8. Were you an Organ Donor prior to being diagnosed with Kidney Disease?

Why or Why not?

Philip:When i was younger no but once i started to understand the situation in front of me i always said i would get my Pink Dot Artavius:No, because I was diagnosed at 3 yrs old, but once I was old enough to get my license I made sure my "red heart" was on it.

9. As an Actor is it difficult when given a script to memorize your lines and actually become the character?

Philip: I have a sequence i go through when i get a character. I go through the lines first get a feel for the role(if its a angry role if its a happy role.. if theres yelling involved or just loud talking) Then develop a character then memorize my lines because it makes no sense to remember the lines before developing the character because its hard to change characters once a wrong or right one is developed.

Artavius :As I mentioned earlier, the best practice you can do as an actor/actress is to learn the backstory of your character; that will give you the context needed to become the character. Now memorizing your lines is on you lol! If you're passionate about it, you'll do what you got to do to remember those lines.

10. Besides just being blessed with a New Kidney whats your idea of an overall successful Kidney Transplant?

Philip: A overall successful Kidney Transplant to me is kidney function returning to normal and health as close to perfect as possible and a return to normal activities and normal life Artavius:Understanding that I got this second chance at life with a new kidney and am willing to do everything in my power that I can control to share my story with as many people as God allows me to.

The Journey of Jonathan Traylor On July 8th , 2019 Jonathan went into kidney failure (Stage 5 ESRD) and he crashed while going into Dialysis! He was flighted by helicopter to a hospital in San Antonio because of the fact His local hospital did not have a dialysis machine.

When He landed He entered the ER and the doctor said “grab the crash cart” and he immediately blacked out. Jonathan woke up in the ICU on a dialysis machine 3 days later and was told later that He was about 30 minutes from death according to doctors. He also found out his potassium was a score of 9 and his creatinine was 25! Due to uncontrolled Diabetes and Hypertension ( Leading causes of CKD Chronic Kidney Disease ) his kidneys had failed! His whole world had been rocked and he felt like he was hit by a truck blindsided by kidney disease and kidney failure, with no prior experience or education of kidney disease, Jonathan was forced to adapt quickly and learn as much as he could! It was an traumatic experience and overnight his life was forever changed!

Jonathan was discharged from the hospital after a 2 week stay, to continue in center hemodialysis treatments, with a permcath eventually had surgery to install a fistula and then 10 months later progressed to Home Hemodialysis with NxStage along with his Wife Melissa as his Care partner. They learned so much in 3 weeks and was able to graduate from the course early, after all the training, he only did home hemodialysis for 3 1/2 months.

On August 11th 2020, He received his miracle Gift of Life. Jonathans kidney came from a friend who had sadly passed but was a registered donor in another state, the family was able to direct donate to him. He was transplanted in San Antonio, Texas at Methodist Specialty and Transplant, his kidney was flown in from Louisville, Kentucky. Jonathan said he wasn’t expecting his kidney to come to him the way that it did, but he knew that eventually he would receive one, He had faith and continued to believe, even on the dark days. He had to hang on to Hope!

Jonathan is now 2yrs post kidney transplant and life is amazing! He is healthy and able to work (He's a gigwork delivery driver for multiple apps) and feel incredible! He has also continued with his exercise routine and improved eating habits as well!

He is truly a blessed individual after surviving a near death experience with kidney failure and receiving his miracle gift of Life, he truly believes he survived that night for a reason and that he has a calling on his Life to help others. he has a passion for all things kidney related and now use his personal story to give encouragement & hope to those that are suffering with kidney disease. He now advocates for kidney disease awareness and organ donation for kidney patients. He is grateful and blessed to share his messages of hope with others, because of Jonathans experience with kidney disease he started an online streaming show in August of 2020! His podcast is called Hope (Heaven Opens Possibilities Everyday) with Jonathan, it’s a platform for patients to share their story. He believes prevention and education are keys to success when battling kidney disease!

Jonathan said"Our goal is to inspire.

Inform and educate through the power of sharing your story! We Share Stories of Hope! We believe by sharing your kidney journey that you encourage others to continue on, have hope and stand in the fight against Kidney Disease!"

Q&A With Jared A. Brown of A Warriors Quest Show

1)What made you start advocating for individuals battling kidney disease Jared - I was inspired to act & do something when I read a social media post from my sister in law, Jeff’s wife who has kidney disease.

2)Who has been a big help while on this advocacy journey Jared - My twin brother Jeff & Steve Belcher 3)What are you looking forward to doing within your brand in the next 5 years Jared - Creating hope, inspiring people, and finding living donors.

4)Did your life change when the person in your life dealing with kidney failure life changed Jared - Yes! 5)Did your eating habits change when the person in your life battling kidney failure eating habits had to change?

Jared - Yes

6)What has been the most enjoyable thing about having your own podcast?

Jared - Making people have hope in a better future 7)Do you work with any organizations that also contribute to the kidney space or transplant space?

Jared - Yes, Urban Kidney Alliance, non-profit organization from Steve Belcher 8)How did you come to the conclusion that ok we are going to start a podcast advocating for people?

Jared - I feel as though more people should get involved, even if they don’t have kidney disease themselves because they can have empathy for the people who do have kidney disease.

The Life & Transplant Story of Kent Bressler Kent Bressler MA RN My Kidney journey began in 1970 when my urine sample at the time showed protein during my draft physical for the Army. Although it was only 1+ I did not know the significance in proteinuria and the Army gladly accepted me to serve. Little did I know how great a lifetime opportunity the service provided me.

I spent several years with the proteinuria and unfortunately no one really identified it as an issue. In 1984, Dr. Paraic Mulgrew a renowned transplant nephrologist in San Antonio, Texas diagnosed me with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) that was found on biopsy and verified at John Hopkins.

FSGS is a rare kidney disease that causes scarring in the glomerulus of the kidney and is notorious for additional health problems including large amounts of protein in the urine, loss of protein in the blood, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. In addition, FSGS can return to damage and create a situation in the transplanted kidney as well.

In 1987, I received a kidney from my brother, Kip. We matched very well even though he was O+ and I was A+.

My youngest brother Kerry was also a qualified donor but had children, so Kip stepped up. I always mention Kerry because he really wanted to be the donor. This is common in living related donors there will always be an odd one out.

Since the transplant over 35 years now I have been on Prednisone and Sandimmune (Cyclosporin) both immunosuppressive drugs are essential in guarding against rejection of the transplanted kidney. The largest drawback with these drugs is that they can and have some serious long term side effects.

I have been prone to numerous precancerous skin lesions and have also had several procedures to remove over 30 squamous and basal cell skin cancers. Granted these are treatable and it is important to have frequent visits to a skilled dermatologist post-transplant on your to do list.

I served in the United States Army Medical Corps from 1970-1972 and was an RN in the Veterans Administration for 22 years. In addition, I enjoyed a 20-year career as an RN at Peterson Hospital in Kerrville, Texas. I worked in most areas of nursing but ended up as Administrative Director of Medical Staff Services. Throughout my career I have made I a point to assist and mentor as many kidney patients as I could.

I maintain an active interest in FSGS research and have served as a steering committee member for Nephcure International. Nephcure is a nationally known 501c that specializes in research into all aspects of FSGS. One rewarding endeavor in the kidney space has been being an active Peer Mentor and Consumer Advisor participating in chronic kidney disease research reviews for the U.S. Department of Defense. I have also served an experienced consumer peer reviewer for PCORI (Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute).

I also participate in local, state, and national kidney advocacy efforts. It is very important for one go give back to the kidney community and being an active kidney warrior advocate is essential. Being able to tell your kidney story to your congressional delegation keeps then alert to what kidney disease is and what it does to all of those who suffer from CKD. Participation on the hill at the state level and federal levels is tantamount to the success of the fight against kidney disease. It is up to us to prepare the way for those newly diagnosed with the disease. You can gain entry to this highly charged and fun arena by joining groups such as AAKP, NKF and AKF as they provide you to ability to state your piece and tell you story. I want to thank NKF for recognizing me in awarding me the 2017 Richard K. Salick Advocacy Award.

I retired in 2017 and am happy to point out that I cofounded Kidney Solutions; A Network of Transplant Experience Kidney Solutions is a non-profit organization that works with patients and families to locate kidney donors.

We are a full approach organization, patient centered, and patient focused, that advocates for transplanting first. We are happy to help anyone in their donor search and be with them at transplant and stay with them post-transplant to help them keep their kidney. Our services are free, and we work closely with the medical community.All those souls working with Kidney Solutions are volunteers.

Go to Kindeysolutions.org to read about what we do.

Podcasts at Kent’s Kidney Stories and signing up for one of our Monday or Thursday night kidney support groups.

Thanks.

The Story Behind Camille Cook and The Development of Creamy Crack Body Cream Camille Cook is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner and holds four other degrees. With a background in Dermatology, Cosmetic Surgery and owned a medical spa where she specialized in skin of color and provided anti-aging services.

She has a passion to serve others and educate them on improving their largest organ, SKIN. Her son who suffered from eczema and husband a two-time kidney transplant survivor who struggled with skin complications from chronic kidney disease.

Because of their conditions she created and developed an all-natural body cream in her kitchen and they became addicted to the product.

Which is why we coined the term, Creamy Crack. It’s a healthy addiction for your SKIN! She believes everyone deserves to have their skin moisturized, nourished, healthier, and protected.

Her most gratifying and rewarding attributes are being able to empower people of all ages to improve and maintain proper skin care regimens. Her goal is to help people to build confidence and higher their self-esteem.

Still working as a family nurse practitioner and committed to living a healthy lifestyle. I’m a daily meditator and reader, I work out and practice yoga and self-care, you can always find me at the beach, and I’m obsessed with self-development podcasts.

Okay, I’m not perfect, I also, have a risky side... I ride motorcycles and can’t wait to jump out of a plane one day. Yikes!

My mission is to continue running a spirituallygrounded and compassionately-driven business while serving as many people as I can. I hope that you will give Creamy Crack a try and send me a message at info@CreamyCrackBodyCream.com Please follow my journey on social media at Creamy Crack Body Cream or you can purchase the Creamy Crack all-natural body cream at www.CreamyCrackBodyCream.com I’d love to hear from you!

Motivation With Fred Hill

Finish Strong We’re close to the end of 2022. This year is almost over. In the last months of the year when we should be focusing on being grateful and celebrating life and love, many people become saddened and depressed because they think back to their New Year’s Resolution that was made and wasn’t kept. Many look back on the losses, failures, and mistakes made throughout the year. They recall the troubling situations experienced, the heartache and heart break of relationships, and the pain of loved ones no longer here.

Your feelings are valid because all you have experienced was real.

You have a right to feel saddened, depressed, hurt, lonely, angry, confused, overwhelmed, or whatever emotion. Emotions are the proof that you are alive and you care about yourself and others.

Caring about yourself and others must become the fuel you need to overcome the stronghold of your emotions, break the mental chain that has your life locked to the negative sentiment of all you have experienced, and remember that your past does not define your future.

The last few months of 2022 may not be enough time to accomplish all you had envisioned for this year but that’s okay. This year is almost over but you still have a lot of life to live. 2023 will be here before you know it and what you did not accomplish is 2022, it’s okay to continue in 2023 because life goes on and your hopes, dreams, and desires are still alive in you.

Now is the time for you to realize that you survived everything that had your emotions in an uproar. You may ask, “How can you say I survived when the problem still exists?

The answer is: You are still here! Which means, there is an answer to every problem you will face in Life

It will not always be easy in getting the answer and overcoming the problem but with prayer, faith in God, and putting in the work you can do it.

So don’t worry about whatever has happened up to this point. Just make up in your mind that you will not allow the negativity of this year to control your emotions and determine your future. Know that you have the power to decide how this year ends. So, make the plan to decide, commit, and succeed to finish strong!

Fred Hill

Chef Alana's Culinary Corner This is one of my favorite fall/winter stews that’s is sure to warm you up inside on a cool day as well as satisfy your taste buds. It is a heart healthy, kidney friendly southern hospitality feeling dish from my kitchen to yours.

Collard green stew: 3 cups water 1⁄4 pound smoked turkey necks and/or tail 1 tablespoon fresh hot pepper, (jalapeño) chopped 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1⁄4 teaspoon tumeric, ground 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1⁄2 teaspoon thyme 1 scallion, chopped 1 teaspoon ginger, ground 1⁄4 cup onion, chopped 1 can of black eyed peas 1 can of stewed tomatoes 1/4 teaspoon of Salt 1/4 teaspoon of pepper 2 pounds greens I prefer collared, but you can use(mustard, turnip, collard, kale, or mixture)

1. Place all ingredients except greens into large saucepan and bring to boil.

2. Prepare greens by washing thoroughly and removing stems.

3. Tear or slice leaves into bite-size pieces.

4. Add greens to turkey stock. Cook for 20–30 minutes until tender.

Nutrition facts: Yields: 5 servings Serving size: 1 cup Calories: 80 Total Fat: 2g Saturated Fat: 0g Cholesterol: 16 mg Sodium: 378 mg Total Fiber: 4g Protein: 9g Carbohydrates: 9g Potassium: 472 mg Phosphorus: 50mg (from the peas) Chef tips: *This dish can be made vegan. Replace the smoked Turkey with 1 tablespoons of smoked paprika, or 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke and 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar for optimal flavor. * Dialysis patients can remove the beans to lower the phosphorus and replace the tomatoes with roasted red peppers (store brought) to reduce your potassium intake. * A 4oz piece of baked protein preferably fish or chicken will go great with this dish, or it can be enjoyed by itself.

Let me know if you need anything else, I’ll be happy to send it to you.

Chef Alana

Exercise and Nutrition with Coach Cook When facing the challenges of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) life can become daunting. You find yourself taking several medication, different supplements and changes in your body that you’re not familiar with. With the fatigue, fluid build up and stress you can be experiencing, the last thing some people want to do is exercise.

Believe me, I experience all these challenges and more, for over a decade while being on different types of dialysis, P.D. Peritoneal Dialysis and H.D. Hemodialysis. But, one bright spot in my life was exercise. When I exercised it made me feel just overall BETTER! It helped me relieve the stress that comes with having (CKD), I was recovering a lot faster from all the dialysis treatments, my energy was always great when I exercised, and it gave me an appetite, (I was always happy to eat).

I’m going to outline some of the best exercises for people who have Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). Be sure to consult with your doctor before you start any exercise program.The first is just move the body, and that is walking. Taking a 20-30 minute walk 3 times a day, and here are some of the benefits. It will keep you flexible, a body in motion stays in motion, it makes you breath deep and this is very good for the lungs, walking will help remove extra fluid that you may retain for having (CKD) and the benefits list goes on. You can walk in a park, the mall, or right in your neighborhood.

Another great exercises, is using the exercise bands for resistances. You can put this on your shoulders and do shoulder press, they can go around your legs, and you can perform squats, this will build muscles in your hamstrings, buttock, and quads. This will help people have better stability when they are walking up a flight of stairs.

Here are a list of benefits that good OL Fashion exercise will have on your body.

Reduces risk of diabetes, lowers blood pressure, reduces ‘bad’ cholesterol, increases ‘good’ cholesterol, improves circulation, reduces fluid retention, assists weight loss, increases endurance and stamina, strengthens bones and increase body mass, boost immune system, lifts mood disorders, such as depression, increases self-esteem.

If you have stages 3-5 (CKD) and your looking for a exercise program that will fit into your kidney disease regimen, hit me up at www.kidneycarecoaches.com and i’ll be happy to work with you on your exercise needs.

Editor: Tifiro E. Cook is a Two time kidney transplant recipient who thrived for over a decade on Peritoneal and Hemodialysis. While on dialysis he owned his on fitness gym and created fitness programs for people with all stages of kidney disease. He is know the Founder and CEO of Kidney Care Coaches. Where they coach people with stages 3-5 kidney disease. They have 3 services, Membership site, Group coaching and OneOn One coaching. He’s married to Camille Cook and they have two kids Bryce and Sivoni.

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