Let me start by giving you a little background information.

My husband and I got married in 2005 and then he was diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease in 2008, thankfully we were told he was stable and his kidney function was at 25% at that time. He was working for a company out of Michigan and he was frequently laid off due to a lack of work so he decided to go where his chances of finding employment would be greater. In 2010 he found a job working for a company out of Virginia. Entering 2011 he had been working in Maryland for 12 weeks straight and I was feeling stressed trying to balance everything from Michigan with our two daughters.

In spring of 2011, I was invited to my first Tupperware party; I thought I had earned some well-deserved 'ME' time. Later that year, I was invited to another party with the same Consultant and this time it was BIRTHDAY MONTH. At this party, things were different. I had my order ready to be placed when the hostess asked me if I could stay for a few minutes after. This was when she offered me the opportunity to become a Consultant. I went home, called my husband and told him I was going to sign up to get the discount and kit, and so my Tupperware journey began. While I was getting my business up and running, my husband was working out of town 60-70 hours per week and making a 12-14 hour drive to come home.

I did the minimum requirements with Tupperware and went to meetings just to get out of the house and have more 'ME' time.

That year, I went to Fall Fest and started recruiting to build my team: through those connections I became a Manager. I was excited and on a mission to earn that Mustang. In January 2012, my husband was home and had an appointment with his nephrologist. We were told his kidney function was now at 15%, and we needed to start making some serious decisions. After some discussion, we decided that first, we needed to be together and not so many miles apart, and second, he decided to continue working until he would be forced to go on dialysis.

I found us a place and took care of our affairs so we could move to West Virginia where we would be close in case anything happened. I was also planning to go to my first Jubilee, but moving my family took priority. I thought I would be able to just take my business with me, but things didn't go as planned. Unfortunately, I wasn't accepted in West Virginia so my weekly meetings were no longer an option. My people in Michigan also decided to leave, so I was starting all over in West Virginia. I was no longer a Manager, and I was back to doing the bare minimum to stay active.

Entering into 2013, my husband ended up in the hospital to have emergency surgery. His kidney function was now at 9%. He was forced to go on retirement disability.

Our family went without a paycheck for six months, except for the money I would make off my Tupperware sales. I started doing everything I could to try and rebuild my business. My husband was then dual listed for a transplant. In 2015 we got a call that a possible kidney may be available, however the donation didn't work out, as we decided we weren't financially ready to make this move just yet. We were told it could cost us $210,000 the first year after the transplant.

This was when our youngest daughter (who was 10 yrs. old) decided to go with me to my Tupperware vendor shows and raise money for the transplant through a non-profit we created. In spring of 2016, my husband had both of his kidneys removed. After that, the battle for his life truly began. My husband was now on dialysis and at home. As we entered 2017, I began to make funeral arrangements as I was unsure what was going to happen with his health. Then, a miracle came on April 7, 2017: we finally got a call for a kidney transplant. We were told it wasn't a guarantee, but that we should drive to Ohio to begin testing.

He officially received his transplant in April and was given a second chance at life.

In August, we took our first family vacation without any machines, and we were well on our way back to normal. I also went to this year's Jubilee and decided that, for 2018, my goal would be to become a Director. The dream is for my husband to share this magical moment with me and to walk with me down the stage when I get promoted and recognized at the conference.

I can't wait to see what the new year will bring!

Dorinda Hudson, Manager.

Tupperware Brands Corporation published this content on 12 December 2017 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein.
Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 12 December 2017 13:43:11 UTC.

Original documenthttp://blog.tupperware.com/community/dorinda-starts-a-new-chapter/

Public permalinkhttp://www.publicnow.com/view/D3F7BDD12876B7DF507EC3F253CEBAF5C354CB4E