Let’s get personal. About two months ago, I visited the clinic in my hometown to consult my doctor because of various complications I was having with my health. For instance: I was never hungry and my weight had dropped from around 150 lbs in high school to 130 now. People constantly approach me about my weight, “Michael, are you getting enough to eat down there at college?” The change is noticeable, and it renders me utterly self-conscious.

Occasionally I suffer from joint pain, I have had severe swelling in my foot, and sometimes I can’t walk. The pain can be so intense that I have to skip class. I thought I had fractured my foot somehow and it simply wasn’t healing. 

Worst of all was the constant fatigue. I was always tired, even after taking a nap – my body just wanted to sleep. Still, when I climb stairs, I have to take a break on the landings because I get lightheaded. People who are close to me know that I love reading and writing. They’re as essential to me as breathing. Because of the fatigue, I couldn’t last through a couple pages of my favorite writers. Sometimes this caused me so much frustration, I’d break down and sob.

I felt that my body was failing me. Or, perhaps conversely, I was failing it.

I thought all of this could be attributed to the fact that I have ulcerative colitis (UC), a condition I was diagnosed with in high school. It’s a severe and potentially life-threatening condition that puts me at a much greater risk for colon cancer. Oh, and it will stick with me for the rest of my life. 

I had been off medication for a few years (which was thoroughly irresponsible) so I figured if I could just get back on the medication, all of my problems would be solved.

My doctor ordered up some blood tests, renewed my prescription and sent me on my way. For those who don’t know, Lialda, a common medication for UC, costs in the hundreds of dollars if you are uninsured. I’ve seen the price range from $250 to $950… and that will get you by for one month.

I take pause here to encourage the reader to support any legislation regarding funding of inflammatory bowel disease research. Living with it is an uncomfortable and difficult condition, and legislation that seeks to reduce costs of medication or to expand our knowledge of it goes a long way by helping the Crohn’s and colitis community.

A week later, I was moving my girlfriend into her apartment when I received a phone call from my doctor, who expressed concern over my blood tests. He advised me to get another check up. After a follow up blood test and an ultrasound, my doctor at McFarland Clinic here in Ames diagnosed me Stage IV Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). 

It was then that I found the culprit, or at least the accomplice, to all of my health problems. The fatigue (anemia), the foot swelling (gout), and weight loss.

For those of you who don’t know, kidney disease involves the deteriorating function of the kidneys. Basically, the kidneys can no longer filter out waste products from the bloodstream. CKD can lead to anemia, heart disease and even a stroke. Kidney failure, when the functionality drops below around 10%, is fatal without immediate attention. This is called End Stage Renal Disease, or Stage V Kidney Disease, of which I am on the precipice. In most cases, CKD is very mild and more severe forms only happen in older populations – it is most common among adults older than 70 years. 

Being 22 years old, I am a very rare exception.

A part of me is literally dying, and there’s not a lot I can do. I have plunged into a new realm of living where the phrase “weighing your options” is a legitimate concern. Dialysis and/or a kidney transplant are pretty much my only options. Though, I can slow the kidney failure by watching what I eat. It is here that I must give credit to those in the field of Dietetics. They represent the future of preventive care – the kind of care that will keep my kidneys alive.

The cost of a kidney transplant, without insurance, is the same as a house. The estimated U.S. average per transplant in 2011 was $262,000. I cannot imagine what life would be like for someone who has ulcerative colitis, a preexisting condition, who is denied coverage for a kidney transplant or must pay heftier premiums. A kidney transplant will literally save someone’s life, but that someone will be slapped with an outrageous, life changing burden.

The Affordable Care Act prevents insurance companies from denying someone like me the adequate coverage to stay alive. Tens of millions of uninsured and underinsured people who have entered the exchanges can now live a safer and more secure life because of Obamacare. Premiums are much lower than expected, our deficits are projected to shrink year by year and the growth of health care costs are finally beginning to slow.

The Affordable Care Act alleviates the heavy burdens that UC and CKD patients face, and most of all, it will save lives. 

When you think of ACA or any other form of legislation that seeks to aid people who are stricken with severe health complications, think of me. Think of people like me, but less fortunate and poverty stricken, who otherwise wouldn’t have access to adequate care. They are the faces of health care reform, not the people who, with no evidence, and against overwhelming data, claim it’s a catastrophe.

Seriously, thanks very much, Obama.