Scarred Not Silent: Stories from the intersections of survival

In this episode, Rodney shares the unforgettable experience of meeting his kidney donor and his donor’s wife—alongside his own wife, who stood with him through it all. It was a moment filled with gratitude, emotion, and reflection. He also opens up about the uncertain path of Scarred Not Silent , along with the real reasons behind his recent inconsistency. This is a story about connection, honesty...

There comes a moment in every patient’s journey when trust meets tension. You sit across from the doctor. Numbers are discussed. Adjustments are made. The visit ends… but the questions begin. In this episode, I walk through a recent follow-up where my tacrolimus levels came back high, and changes were made—just like that. No consultation with my original transplant team. No deeper pause. And now?...

Hey! I will see ya! Friday the 20th. Sorry, and thank you!  Send us Fan Mail Support the show  Thanks for tuning in to Scarred Not Silent: Stories from the Intersection of Survival. Stay connected: www.scarrednotsilent.com | scarrednotsilent@gmail.com | Support the show by leaving a review!  Oh! If you would like to support my coffee or cheesburger fund, check the link below.  https://www.buzzspro...

Trust is an interesting thing. Most of us assume our bodies will do their job. Until one day they don’t. In this episode of Scarred Not Silent: Stories from the Intersection of Survival , Rodney Washington reflects on the complicated relationship he now has with his own body after kidney disease, a kidney transplant, and heart valve replacement surgery. Who: Rodney, a transplant survivor learning...

For the past couple of weeks, I have been missing in action. A stubborn cold moved in and brought along a chronic cough for company. My voice now sounds like I stepped straight into a rap battle from the movie 8 Mile … except I might be the guy with the raspy voice getting roasted. In this episode of Scarred Not Silent: Stories from the Intersection of Survival , I share what it has been like tryi...

Sometimes the next chapter of life doesn't arrive through a grand plan. Sometimes it shows up through curiosity. After years of navigating kidney disease, survival, and rebuilding purpose, a surprising spark has appeared in an unexpected place: the world of resale. What started as a simple activity has begun to reignite something deeper. Energy. Strategy. Creativity. Possibility. In this epis...

It is not about lowering standards.  It is about accepting reality without shrinking your spirit. In the context of Scarred Not Silent , this episode would explore the difference between: Acceptance and resignation Adaptation and defeat Maturity and giving up You have lived in seasons when life did not match the plan: health, Career pacing, or Physical limits. Public perception. Expectations of wh...

The Anger Phase. Funny thing is, I don’t remember being angry. Or maybe somebody’s algorithm filed me under a lazy label and called it a day. If anger showed up at all, it wasn’t in the middle of the surgery or the most challenging stretch of recovery. It came later, after the healing was “complete,” when the dust settled, and I had to face what life actually looked like. Maybe it was what life co...

Grief for the Old Me” is about something people rarely say out loud: sometimes you are not grieving a person. You are grieving yourself. Here’s the thinking behind it. When someone goes through illness, transplant, disability, career disruption, or any major life shift, there is a quiet identity death. The version of you that ran faster, earned differently, dreamed differently, and planned differe...

 Today’s conversation opens the door to the parts of loss that do not show on the outside. The hidden identity shifts. The silent grief. The private battles that continue long after the world thinks you are “okay.” This is an honest reflection on the invisible version of self that still exists and still matters.  Send us Fan Mail Support the show  Thanks for tuning in to Scarred Not Silent: Storie...

There are moments in life when the picture we carried for decades quietly falls apart. This episode sits in that space. Today’s conversation explores the reality of living with the gap between the life you planned and the life that unfolded. It speaks to the weight many people carry when work, health, or circumstances disrupt the role they believed they were supposed to play, especially the pressu...

Strength and resilience have always moved together in my life.  I first saw strength in childhood, playing a game called “Monster” with the older boys in the neighborhood. It was rough. Drop kicks. Punches. Pure kid energy. At the time, it just felt like play. Looking back, it was preparation. Those moments taught me how to take hits, stand back up, and keep moving forward.  They helped shape my m...

Gratitude is often framed as something we feel when life is going well. This episode takes a deeper road. It explores how gratitude can exist in ordinary days, difficult seasons, and moments that did not always feel kind or fair at the time. This conversation centers on how perspective shapes what we call a “good” moment. It reflects lessons learned early in life, especially experiences that were...

 On Scarred Not Silent , I reflect a lot on identity. One thing I have come to realize is that, at my core, I have not changed as much as I once thought. I am still someone who leads with respect and kindness. I never allowed my kidney journey to spill over onto the people around me. If anything, the experience strengthened me. It pushed me to become a stronger advocate, more resilient, and more g...

In this episode of Scarred Not Silent: Stories from the Intersection of Survival , Rodney reflects on those early moments of advocacy and how they unknowingly laid the foundation for his future in social work. He then brings listeners into a more recent and deeply human encounter. While waiting for a medical appointment, Rodney shares a brief conversation with a dialysis patient. It lasted only mi...

Pain is honest. It does not whisper. It shows up loudly, unapologetically, and often without warning. In this episode, I reflect on what pain has taught me. Yes, pain hurts like hell. There is no poetic way around that. But over time, I have learned that pain is not always in charge. I talk about how the mind, the old noodle, can help manage some of the deepest pain. Breathing. Reframing. Groundin...

“What I Learned About Waiting” opens the mini-season chapter of Scarred, Not Silent . In this series, I’m debriefing the sub-topics underneath the big themes, so I can speak more freely and go deeper than I usually do. Today’s focus is waiting . Waiting is something many of us are forced to do as kids, standing in lines, sitting in silence, being told “not yet.” But adulthood has its own kind of w...

This is the final episode of my kidney journey. As I close this chapter, it is not goodbye. It is a moment to reflect on what this road has taught me, and what it may have quietly taught you, too. Scarred, Not Silent will continue, just with new topics and new directions. I may take a week to breathe, rest, and gather my thoughts, but we will see. To everyone who has listened, shared, and stayed w...

Today, I’m tired. The kind of tired you can’t explain with a nap. And instead of pushing through like we’re all trained to do, I’m choosing something simple: rest. This episode is a five-minute reset. No fixing. No performing. No proving. Just an invitation for you to shut the world out for five minutes and come back to yourself. If you’re carrying too much, if your mind won’t slow down, or if you...

Alert: This episode was recorded several days ago, and it continues my story of the heart valve replacement. It felt fitting to share it on a day that was cloudy, cold, rainy, and flat-out gloomy, because it took me right back to that day in San Diego. The kind of day where your mind says one thing, your body says another, and you have to decide who’s driving. Luckily, I’ve learned what to do when...

In this episode, I reflect on a powerful quote from a famous gladiator that stopped me in my tracks while reading a recent gift I received. On the surface, the quote speaks to injury. But when you sit with it long enough, it reveals something deeper. There is a profound difference between being injured and sensing that you are injured. I take a thoughtful dive into what that distinction means in r...

This week, I move us forward to my 2023 heart surgery. You might be asking what heart surgery has to do with kidney disease. Fair question. The connection matters more than most people realize. In this episode, I break down how medications interact, why staying focused on your dialysis treatment plan is crucial, and how one small oversight can have a ripple effect on your entire health journey. Th...

In this episode, I circle back before moving forward. I briefly revisit our previous conversation about the sudden stoppage of my Social Security Disability benefits and the residual effects that followed. I share how and why finding employment after relocating to Arizona has been more complicated than expected, even when the motivation to work is strong. From there, the conversation shifts inward...

In today’s episode, I close the loop on a Social Security Disability fight most people never see coming. I walk through how I uncovered a little-known loophole buried in SSD policy and procedure. Not a rumor. Not frustration. Research. Paper trails. Discrepancies that did not line up with what the beneficiaries were told. I reached a point where I formally wrote to the President of the United Stat...

This episode serves as a real-time reminder of what happens when you take risks and find out. I was down with the flu. Flu A to be exact. Somewhere between pushing through and brushing off the early warning signs, I ignored what my body was clearly asking for. Rest. Attention. Respect. From the fog of recovery, I reflect on how quickly things can unravel when we neglect our health, especially when...