Since the time my older daughter (who was adopted in China) was just a few years old, she’s been dancing with the New York Chinese Cultural Center (NYCCC). Our younger daughter subsequently joined in at NYCCC with a group of her peers. These classes figure largely in our daughters’ social lives: All the girls maintain contact with each other as well as with traditional Chinese culture, and they are all exposed to the different religious and ethnic cultures of each of our families. (In a year, the older girls go off to college . . . eeks, I remember them fondly as toddlers!) This involvement with NYCCC became the basis for a group of closely-knit families. We have shared joyous occasions such as the kids’ birthdays as well as sad and tragic losses; several of the moms including my wife have a monthly Friday night get-together.
The NYCCC dance and acrobatics instructors are all performers trained in China. Some of us parents asked them to form a Tai Chi class under a master 
of this form who is also trained in Chinese medicine. For several years I studied in this class, including single and double-sword forms. The movements and flow of the forms, and the explanations of the teacher (translated by a member of the class) were a direct way to help me understand the cultural background of my daughters’ homeland, as well as all the benefits of training in balance, coordination and getting centered in the flow of vital energy that is so essential to Tai Chi.
As my kidneys enlarged, I was no longer able to manage the up-and-down movements. I’m eager to resume this ancient martial arts form as soon as I can after my kidney transplant. First and foremost however, I need a kidney donor. Please help spread the word!
Filed under Benefits of Exercise, Kidney Disease, Useful Resources
Tagged as China, Chinese culture, Exercise, Health, kidney disease, New York, NYCCC, PKD, T'ai chi ch'uan, Tai Chi
A New England Journal of Medicine study reports that tolvaptan slows the enlargement of cystic kidneys while also slowing the loss of kidney function–both by about 50%. The FDA’s target action date for Otsuka’s tolvaptan application is September 1, 2013. If approved, tolvaptan would become the first pharmaceutical therapy for patients with ADPKD.
