The bond between my husband, Kym Schuller, and I is very precious, given that it is a second marriage for each of us. We met working in the property industry, where we always admired each other's achievements and shared a passion for our profession. We were friends first. Kym had a career as an architectural designer and eventually he started working at the same company with me. In time we discovered there was more to our friendship.
We shared a lot of interests. We loved to travel and ski, and our Christian faith gives a rich foundation to all that we do. As we got to know each other on a deeper level over dinners, I learned that since he was 15, Kym had been managing kidney disease. Only one of his kidneys worked, and he'd lived his whole life with it operating at about 20 per cent.
He had always been able to manage his condition through diet and having semi-regular check-ups with specialists. He largely lived a life free from complications. He never drew attention to himself. He's just not that sort of person.
Kym always knew he would one day need a new kidney and fortunately had a willing donor. So, when Kym's kidney function began to decline in 2013, we decided to go overseas and have a good holiday, knowing he may not be able to do it again. As it happened, his kidney kept ticking over.
This story is from the September 2022 edition of Australian Women’s Weekly NZ.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 2022 edition of Australian Women’s Weekly NZ.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
PRETTY WOMAN
Dial up the joy with a mood-boosting self-care session done in the privacy of your own home. It’s a blissful way to banish the winter blues.
Hitting a nerve
Regulating the vagus nerve with its links to depression, anxiety, arthritis and diabetes could aid physical and mental wellbeing.
The unseen Rovals
Candid, behind the scenes and neverbefore-seen images of the royal family have been released for a new exhibition.
Great read
In novels and life - there's power in the words left unsaid.
Winter dinner winners
Looking for some thrifty inspiration for weeknight dinners? Try our tasty line-up of budget-concious recipes that are bound to please everyone at the table.
Winter baking with apples and pears
Celebrate the season of apples and pears with these sweet bakes that will keep the cold weather blues away.
The wines and lines mums
Once only associated with glamorous A-listers, cocaine is now prevalent with the soccer-mum set - as likely to be imbibed at a school fundraiser as a nightclub. The Weekly looks inside this illegal, addictive, rising trend.
Former ballerina'sBATTLE with BODY IMAGE
Auckland author Sacha Jones reveals how dancing led her to develop an eating disorder and why she's now on a mission to educate other women.
MEET RUSSIA'S BRAVEST WOMEN
When Alexei Navalny died in a brutal Arctic prison, Vladimir Putin thought he had triumphed over his most formidable opponent. Until three courageous women - Alexei's mother, wife and daughter - took up his fight for freedom.
IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO START
Responsible for keeping the likes of Jane Fonda and Jamie Lee Curtis in shape, Malin Svensson is on a mission to motivate those in midlife to move more.
