Hey there r/Minecraft, I'm going to tell you a little story about how Minecraft has helped me in my life throughout the years. I'll separate everything in paragraphs as best I can.

When I was in the 2nd grade, I was riding home from school with my mom. Summer break was just around the corner, and I couldn't wait to do all the things we had planned for since the beginning of the year. Since I was a small child then, I was so excited and couldn't wait for the new season to begin and play at friends houses and such. So many thoughts were running in my mind during car ride, I remember it clearly. This is the day my life changed as I knew it. Approaching closer to home, I felt a strange pain like no other I felt before. The best I can describe it as is similar to when you slam your hand on a car door. I told my mom about the paint and she dismissed it at first. This is because I complained a lot as a child, making it hard to distinguish if it was serious or not. I continued to tell my mom about the pain, this is when she asked me, "Do I need to take you to the doctors?" I replied with a yes, which was a big warning since I hated going to the doctors at the time. In fact, I feared them. My mom gave me a serious look and told me, "Okay, just hold on a little longer". We were no longer heading home, we were going to the ER. Once we got there, my mom checked me in and we were told to wait until the doctor was ready to see me. The wait in the lobby felt like ages, it was almost unbearable since walking made the pain worse. After a considerable amount of time went by, my name was called and we walked through the door, into the back of the building. Many tests were done to try and figure out just what was wrong with me, the doctor couldn't figure it out. He said it's probably not serious and to wait a few days and see if the pain lessens. A few days passed and I was still in pain, it felt worse then before and I started swelling. I was rushed back to the ER and they still didn't know what was wrong with me. So they sent me to Childrens Hospital Los Angles and I was checked in. A few hours went by after tons of paperwork and I was assigned a medical team. My parents and I were sitting in a waiting area with a fish tank that thankfully distracted. When two guys came rushing over to me with a gurney, then strapped me into it. I was nervous, scared, and a little embarrassed as all eyes were on me as they took me to the nearest elevator. I got some x-rays along with some other tests done and was assigned a hospital room. Within less then an hour or so after a doctor came into the room and told me they need to do one more test. They told me they had to do a biopsy, which is basically where they stick a large needle in your body to extract special tissue. A specialist was brought in to explain this to me so that I wouldn't freak out and try to runaway (I'm told this is pretty common). After, I'm given a little time to calm down and let my nerves settle, then I was whisked away to an operating room. I was laying on a flat bed as a mask was put over my head to put me under sedation. They doctors had me watch tv while doing this and told me to count down from 50. Agreeing, I began my countdown as my mind slowly, steadily went blank. I woke up hours later feeling very weak and tired. As I gained my consciousness, a nurse was sent to fetch the doctor. My mind was still numb as he walked into my hospital room. With clipboard in hand, he sat down and broke the news to me and my parents. He began asking me questions about if I knew what my organs did, I said kind of and gave him very basic answers about the heart, liver, etc. Satisfied with my responses, he told me I had early stages of kidney failure, and explained how the organ is responsible for filtering toxins from your body. My parents and I were in shock, it was something that happened so suddenly that it didn't feel real. I was told a how they would treat it as best they could before it got any worse.

I've been prescribed dozens of medications, and have been in and out of the hospital many times since then. Growing up from there was far from simple and I became sad and tired of it all. As I was in middle school, It was around the time I was in 8th grade that YouTube was exploding in popularity and all kinds of videos were being uploaded everyday. This is where I first discovered Minecraft. It was while browsing for Lego videos that I found a game that looked so fun and interesting. I couldn't get enough of it, I wanted to play the game myself. So, I begged my mom to buy the game for me, I made a whole presentation on why she should buy it for me and eventually got her support. I got the game during its alpha stages, just before the nether was added to the game. I remember my first world so well, it was on a large beach with a cliff that lead to a forest. The green color of the leaves and grass, and the old cobblestone texture was forever stained in my mind. I had found something that made me the happiest I'd ever been playing a video game.

Over the years I've come to meet tons of great people. We had many adventures enjoying the many aspects the game has to offer. I've seen the game evolve into something I would have never of thought possible the day I first played. Minecraft is a great game that I enjoy and find joy in. Many have left the game, only to come back because they remember how much of a great game it is. Thank you Notch, and thank you Mojang for all of the wonderful work you've put into the game up till now.

As a final thought, I leave you with some great news. As I've mentioned above, I was diagnosed with kidney disease when I was very small. For the past 2 years, my kidneys have completely failed and I've lived by going to Dialysis 3 times a week, waiting for the day that a can receive a transplant. Well today is that day. I was contacted last night with the news and, as I'm typing this whole thing, I'm on my way to the hospital. My life is about to change in a dramatic way. Minecraft is truly a wonderful game that has helped me and others through tough times in their lives.

P.s. Sorry if this looks rushed, that's because it is since I'm writing this in the hospital as of now. Thank you for reading my story. I will update this later when I'm done with my surgery.

Update #1 – Aprox 11:40am, Just finished talking with all the doctors. Got an iv, my surgery is at about 12:00Pm, should take about 3-4 hours.