I’m Simone Molter and I live in Hamburg, Germany. Since I was a child, I’ve known that I have ADPKD. My father did hemodialysis at home and did his best to show us that having ADPKD isn’t a reason to stay at home.
Every year I write down some challenges and goals for my life to realize my dreams, push my limits, and get outside my comfort zone. It’s made me happier with myself. My mind is getting stronger and my resilience is growing. For a long time, I didn’t understand why I did all these things with such energy and effort. Now I know that some of my challenges were the way my mind compensates for having ADPKD. My inner fight is being afraid I can’t accomplish all my dreams before I have to go on dialysis. Staying strong in your mind isn’t as easy as it looks, but I try to give every day to do my best.
I always live by my motto, “Your only limit is you.” Three years ago, I started mountaineering because hiking was a kind of meditation for me and I dreamt of climbing an 8000er peak, the best case is Everest. Now, I’m at Manaslu Basecamp in Nepal, the eighth-highest mountain in the world, and waiting for the summit push! It’s not easy (i.e. to acclimate because of the medication I have to take), but I’m sure there is a way to reach my dream.