Seasons Change

A dialysis machine was a regular fixture in my husband’s and my bedroom for years. For the years before my son’s kidney transplant, we would hook our little boy up to one of these machines for 9-12 hours every night to rid his little body of the toxins that his malfunctioning kidneys could no longer remove.

Dialysis machines created a way of life for my family. Their presence meant that we could no longer go out in the evening because we had to have our son hooked up to the machine by a certain time. For a long time, until the portable dialysis machine became available, it also meant we couldn’t ever stay overnight anywhere else. When a portable machine did become available - and we could finally stay away from home - boxes and boxes of medical equipment had to be shipped (in advance) to anywhere we traveled. And we carried the machine with us as a vital piece of luggage.

The presence of those dialysis machines also put a limit on the activities my girls could participate in. Any activities had to end early enough for my son to be hooked up to the machine on time. A late hook-up would mean my girls would be late for school because my son’s dialysis had to be complete before we could leave the house. There were no short-cuts: 12 hours of dialysis meant 12 uninterrupted hours. Fewer hours would compromise my son’s health even more than it had already been compromised.

These machines and the way of life they required had become so embedded in my mind and thinking that it was hard for me to see beyond them to a freer life for my son - for all of us. But fast forward a few years - when dialysis was no longer sufficient because my son’s kidneys had become too weak - and my son qualified for a transplant. Receiving his dad’s kidney meant no more dialysis machines, no more closets of dialysis equipment, no more restrictions for activities and travel. Just like that, we moved into a season of a less restricted life.

How about you? What changes have occurred in your family that have freed you from past restrictions?