[Kenneth] Faried's mother Waudda suffers from lupus, an autoimmune disease that attacks the body's natural defense system, causing inflammation, pain, and tissue damage. Lupus is incurable but can be managed with rest, exercise, medication, and, apparently in the case of Waudda, rebounds.
"Seeing my mother fight through lupus, that's one of those things that sticks with you," Faried said. "She's kept fighting all these years and tried to survive. I've learned a lot from her, about not quitting, having passion about everything you do. She's passionate about rebounding for me. So that's why, every time I play, I just tell myself every rebound I get is going to add an extra day to her life."
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"My mother loves it," Faried said. "She's always loved to hear more about my rebounding than my scoring. When I call her after a game, I'll tell her about my points or dunks, and she always says, 'how many rebounds did you get?' If I say nine, that's not good enough, even if I scored 20 points. So I'm always trying to get double figures. I can't let her down."
