I'm very thankful I don't have to fill this section with my triumph over cancer or some equally horrible affliction.  I have however had an issue that has plagued my life since my teens.   I have a condition called Hyperuricemia.  My body over produces Uric Acid which is one of the major causes of kidney stones and the sole cause of gout. Its very weird to be told you have an "old man's disease" at 13.  I've managed it for more than thirty years and I've worked hard to not let it slow me down.  However last year it did catch up to me.  I was on crutches full time.  Luckily I chose a career that let me sit down most of the time.  Despite nearly being immobile I was not slowed down in my duties at my job.  And during that time not only was I able to maintain a full work load I was producing video content and podcasts.  I was as active with my hobbies as anyone else, just mostly from a seated position. 

I had enough though.  I was tired of the painful episodes that kept me from enjoying vacations or even walking to the pool in my backyard so I went to the Mayo Clinic in Florida.  I was ready for any kind of solution.  Much to my surprise there was an experimental drug program that involved infusions over 6 months.  I'm off crutches and looking forward to planning an epic vacation to Japan during cherry blossom season.  I'm nearly 100% pain free and am looking forward to leading a more active lifestyle.