Determination ... an example ...

Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. – Sir Winston Churchill

I had the opportunity to meet and talk with one of horse racing’s stellar stars from the past, retired jockey Randy Romero on the evening before his induction into the horse Racing Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs. Randy rode in over 23,000 races during his career, winning over 4,300 which is quite an accomplishment. He was injured often and endured 27 surgeries but he kept on. He was determined to win – determined to be the best – and when he felt he wasn’t the best anymore and could not be on top of his game, he retired with honor.

During his career, like many jockeys, he battled his weight and spent hours in the hot box where he would lose pounds on race day through heat. It destroyed his kidneys and while in the box on day, it exploded burning 60% of his body. While being treated, he was given a transfusion – it was infected with hepatitis which will never leave his body and will not allow him to get a kidney transplant – it would simply reject. Randy is in dialysis 3 times per week at 4 hours a clip. He has to watch his diet. He has to exercise. He does this because he is determined to live and be there for his family and not just give up and give in like many in his situation would do.

Randy talks about those in dialysis with him in his native New Orleans. Many have lost hope; some just stop this difficult ordeal, and they die. Others just stop living, succumbing to their plight.

But not Randy. He has determination. He speaks about kidney disease. He has written a book, and soon a movie. And he never stops smiling.

That is living and making lemonade from lemons. That is an example to follow.

Perhaps things are not going well in your job or maybe you find yourself in the wrong career. Perhaps there is an issue with a relationship or maybe you just are not “connecting” in life. You can just give in and endure, suffer and not grow. Or you can find that determination to change your situation for the better. Once you do, your motivation will return if lost; you will see positive change and you will achieve your goals.

Never give in. Never let any situation command you to be who you do not want to be. Be a Randy in life …

And thank you for reading this. – Dan

PS: Thank you to the team at the National Kidney Foundation for inviting Vikki and I to the reception for Randy Romero in Saratoga Springs this past Thursday.

Dan Moran

President & Founder

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