Hello Steemit... An introduction... Where do I begin?

I guess this is a good time to introduce myself... I have a tendency to be long winded (fair warning) and I use ellipses (...) quite frequently, a bad habit picked up from decades of writing poetry and I've accepted it.

I'm Scott, 35 and born and raised in NC (though a move may be coming in the not so distant future...) I'm a writer, poet, filmmaker, hopeless romantic dreamer and I tend to live my life focused more on trying to make a positive impact on the world around me. I try not to take anything for granted and appreciate the beauty in everything, that so often people tend to not stop to notice. I chase my passions quite openly, and tend to thrive when the odds are against me and rarely take "no" or "That's impossible" as an answer... I wouldn't still be here, if I didn't, and developed this attitude at birth, or so it would seem, as the doctors gave me 2 days to live... Which brings us to the heavy shit, and more importantly, what I have taken as my passion and focus for life over the last 2 years...

Since, I tend to be an open book, this is the part that may get very open, and very longwinded (I warned you.)

I was born with serious kidney damage caused by a posterior urethral valve blockage. Doctors told my parents to prepare for the worst and I was not expected to live more than two days. Surviving against the odds, I spent my childhood in and out of hospitals with the knowledge that each visit might conclude with a diagnosis of complete kidney failure. Just before my twelfth birthday, I began dialysis and was placed on a transplant list. After four years on the list, I received a cadaver kidney and went on to begin college at UNC Wilmington. The next 4 years were a struggle with countless episodes of rejection (the kidney was never a great match) and I was put back on the waiting list and went back on dialysis January 2003. I have spent the last 14 years juggling life around dialysis treatments 3 times a week, spending a lot of time searching for both a reason as well as my own balance, both internally (mentally, spiritually, etc) as well as physically. After taking a few years off from school, I went back to college in August 2006 and received my undergraduate degree in Media Studies with a Concentration in Film and Television Production from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro in May of 2010. Since graduating, I have continued to pursue my own passions and projects, producing several short films, self publishing a book of poetry with pieces all centered around my own physical battle with kidney disease since birth as well as the mental and emotional toll it took (writing has been my outlet and gotten me through on countless occasions) while also working in marketing consulting & producing corporate videos, infomercials, and any other video projects that come to the table.

Which leads us to...

With my interest in creative writing and background in film/video production, and having lived with kidney disease, it became very clear, early on, that there is a huge lack of education and awareness, so late 2015, I began the process of looking into beginning an organization devoted filling the gap and simultaneously educating the public and growing awareness while also serving as a place for patients to find hope and inspiration as they fight their own battle with kidney disease, dialysis and transplantation... And thus, The Forever is Tomorrow Foundation was officially founded March 3rd, 2016 with the mission of helping dialysis patients manage the complex emotional trauma of their illness by providing a resource for inspiration and hope through various mini documentary web series, telling patient's stories, highlighting research on the horizon, PSA's, education and informational videos and more. (I'll elaborate on this in future posts, but that's the basic idea behind it)

As far as my posts on steemit, they will most likely be as simple as random poetry, or art that I'm working on, perhaps links to new video content, as well as any updates or new content having to do with The Forever is Tomorrow Foundation as we work to grow the organization and continue on the path to taking it global.

With that being said... and to lighten the mood just a little bit, while writing has been my main form of therapy, I have taken up painting the past several years, and tend to get lost in throwing paint at canvas, here's a few pieces I've done.

And because because of Independence Day, I got a little festive with this one:

If you made it this far, thank you for reading, and I look forward to diving in and learning more about steemit and becoming a part of the community!