Soul Survivors 3

NBA BASKETBALL PLAYER (MIAMI HEAT)
ILLNESS: Diagnosed in 2000 with local segmental glomerular scelerosis (FSGS) kidney disease

PROGNOSIS: Without a transplant, possibly fatal.

CURRENT STATUS: Three years after his transplant, Mourning is wrapping up his 13th NBA season and does regular charity work through his Overtown Youth Center. He will have to take anti-rejection meds twice a day for the rest of his life.

Before I was diagnosed, I felt lethargic. Because my kidneys weren't functioning appropriately, my body retained a lot of the fluids that my kidneys weren't helping my body get rid of. It was kinda tough for me [outside of basketball], let alone running up and down the court. When I came home, I was spent, man; I went straight to bed. I didn't have any energy to do anything but sleep and get ready for practice the next day.
During my routine preseason physical, the doctor detected some abnormalities in my body chemistry. He had a biopsy done to see exactly what was going on, and when my results came back, it showed that I had FSGS. Evidently, I have this gene in my body that was triggered by something. They don't know what, but there's a chance it could've been the anti-inflammatories I was taking over the years because of injuries. Actually, a lot of football players, once they retire, have kidney and liver issues.

To read the entire version of Alonzo Mourning's story and the other four Soul Survivors, pick up the July/Aug '07 issue of KING on newsstands now!