SEGUIN, Texas — Seguin Assistant Boys Basketball Coach Andrew Winslow takes life day by day.
"I got diagnosed with PKD (polycystic kidney syndrome)," he said. "I've been on dialysis for one year and do that seven days per week, 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.'
Coach Winslow sat down with KENS % this week and talked about the very real nature of what he's battling each and every day.
"You have to be right in your mind with it because you don't know what kind of day you are going to have," he said. "Some days you wake up, you get ready, you feel good and other days you feel bad, and you hurt."
Coach Winslow is looking for a miracle, and simply stated, that is that he's looking for the gift of life.
"I need a kidney donation," he said. "Someone that would match (with me). You can get tested and match up. Basically someone who will donate me life."
And maybe the most important message that coach wanted to share is that people don't have to be afraid to be a donor. He wants to everyone that you can give the gift of life and still lead a very healthy productive life yourself.
"That's the biggest point that you have to get out to people is that you can live a completely normal life," said Coach Winslow. "On my side of it it's just as hard to ask somebody because how do you ask another human being, and say, 'hey, I need one of your major organs so that I can stay alive.' Somebody that is just caring enough that wants to try and save my life is what would be it."
Andrew understands every reality of what he's dealing with including that most difficult fact to accept.
"The end result of kidney disease is death," he said. "You have to accept that it's a disease. You have to deal with the disease every day. You have to learn how to fight. I've just got to be ready to fight back."
Andrew's older brother was also, some years ago, diagnosed with PKD, and he eventually found his donor and received a new kidney. Coach Winslow is hoping for exact same miracle. He loves Seguin, and the Matador Family is where he wants to be.
"I'm still young and have lots of coaching to do," he said. "I've been given the gift to work with athletes and I'm on my third year of coaching now and it is really a fun ride. I'm having a blast and I think I'm making a difference in lots of young peoples lives."
Coach Winslow's story is much bigger than basketball or sports for that matter. This is about trying to save the man's life.
"It would mean my life. It would mean I'm alive. It would everything to me if I could get back to living a normal life," he said. "I think the first thing I would do is go float the river. I can't swim. I can't play golf. I can't go out to eat. Someone would be giving my my life back is what it would be doing. I would be very very appreciative."
Winslow said that no matter what, he's going to keep on going.
"I'm gonna fight through this one," he said.
There is a Facebook page titled 'A Kidney For Andrew' where you can learn more information about Coach Winslow and his PKD fight.