(PRWEB) December 9, 2004
When Livingston man Terry Miaoulis (25) discovered he needed a life-saving kidney transplant, he did something heÂd wanted to do all his life; he started his own business.
ÂItÂs probably not the first thing most kidney patients think of doing, admits Terry, who found out that he was in the final stages of kidney failure on Christmas day 2003. ÂBut it made sense to me. Within a few hours I went from being a normal guy with a 9-5 job and a mortgage to pay, to someone who needed 12 hours of dialysis every week just to stay alive. Continuing with my job was impossible - most days I feel too ill to even stand up for long  so I decided to try something different.Â
Starting your own business can be difficult at the best of times. When youÂre coping with a serious illness at the same time, it can seem almost impossible. For Terry, however, itÂs been a much-needed lifeline. His internet-based web-design firm, Hot Igloo Productions Ltd, has been in business for only a few weeks, but already it has won a number of local clients, including Bathgate Based Volunteer Centre West Lothian and Whitburn solicitors and estate agents Sneddon Morrison SSC.
ÂI take my laptop with me to my dialysis sessions and design websites while IÂm being treated, explains Terry. ÂIt helps pass the time, and it also gives me something other than my illness to focus on. IÂve created some amazing websites from my dialysis bed!Â
TerryÂs mother, Soula, is now going through the final tests to see if sheÂll be able to donate a kidney to her son. All of their fingers are firmly crossed. In the meantime, though, TerryÂs business is going from strength to strength  and heÂs hoping itÂll continue to do so when dialysis is finally behind him.
ÂI think itÂs important for people to realise that having a serious illness like kidney failure doesnÂt mean that your life has to grind to a halt, says Terry. ÂEven now that I spent so much of my time in hospital, on dialysis, I still believe I can do anything I want to, and if thatÂs true for me, itÂs true for anyone who finds themselves in this position. In a way, being ill has allowed me to start a business which will hopefully continue to grow, and thatÂs something I might never have done I this hadnÂt happened to me.Â
You can visit the Hot Igloo website at http://www.hotigloo.co.uk or email info@hotigloo.co.uk for a free, no obligation design, created to your specifications.
###