My name is Hugh, I was born on April 21 1949 on a farm in White Hall, Maryland. I grew up on a dairy farm where I helped as far back as I can remember. When I was 16 I left school to contribute to building a new home shared with my parents and younger brothers and sister. I continued working until I retired at 58. I retired from Baltimore County Schools where I had worked for 40 years.

I’ve been through ten operations beginning with a broken neck when I was 21 years old.
I was diagnosed with type II diabetes in 1988. In 2002 I learned I had diabetes shortly after recovering from cancer surgery. This is about the time I started having kidney problems which resulted in two hospital stays and eventually requiring dialysis. I began dialysis in August, 2006 I am hoping to have a kidney transplant in December of 2007. We are waiting to confirm that our older daughter Paula will be able to be my kidney donor. The wait until December, 2007 is required because I have to be five years post colon cancer surgery.
I currently live on a thirty acre farm in Stewartstown, PA with my wife and two younger daughters. The farm, animals and daughters keep me busy so I don’t have much time to get bored. The four of us used to do all of the farm work but now it is  mostly my wife Vicki,  and daughters Kelsey, age 15, and Hailey who is 11 that takes care of the farm.

I have always kept myself busy and active which is probably one of the hardest parts about kidney failure and dialysis. I simply do not have the energy to do things I have always done.

When I first started dialysis I felt alone, scared and unsure of my life and future. With young daughters, I did not know if I should retire or try to keep working. I worked for ten months after starting dialysis. Starting work at 6:30 AM, and not getting home until 9:00 PM on three days each week that I had dialysis, finally forced me to make the decision to leave work early.

The staff at the Dialysis Center on Charles Way has worked to accommodate my schedule on several occasions while I worked and again when I retired. They are a great team who have become like family to me.

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Shirley received a gym membership from the foundation.

Shirley shared with us that she would like to join a gym that has the Silver Sneakers Program so she can go and get exercise by walking.

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I am a 39 year old father near York, PA. I have been a juvenile diabetic since the age of 18 and like others I let my self go until it was too late. I started hemodialysis around 3 years ago. I have my good days as well as my bad days like everyone else. I met Shad when he stopped by our dialysis center to talk with the patients about his experiences. Later in the day I started reading his book, and it reminded me of my own past; the feelings and emotions he experienced, I did as well growing up. The only exception was that I grew up in a two parent family. I lost my father when he was 44 years old, I was 18 when he died. I lost my mom at the age of 54 in 2001 from C.H. F. (congestive heart failure). She was also a juvenile diabetic and had coronary artery disease.
           
In 2002, I had my first heart attack at the Hanover Hospital. I was transported to York Hospital the next day and was waiting to see a cardiologist about my options. While waiting to talk to the doctor I realized that if I didn’t do something soon I would end up dying. I did not want to die before my kids grew up and made me a grand-dad.
           
With my first heart attack I had 5 blockages in my chest, 65% was the best blockage and 95% was the worst. While at the hospital I was getting my mind set on the worst case scenario. I figured I was going to need a bypass. The cardiologist came in on a Monday and told me he wanted to try stints. I was still having chest pain after about 6 months and he figured I had scarring over the stint. He did a catheterization to verify this and I remember him saying, “You are going to Washington Hospital Center all right but for a bypass.”
           
I was in the hospital a few years prior, visiting my mom after her triple by bypass surgery. Ironically, I ended up with the same doctor as my mom. The only difference is I had a quadruple bypass. I was 34 years old when I had my surgery.  Throughout the years I was seeing a nephrologist and he informed me that it was a matter of time before I would need kidney dialysis.
           
It took a few years before I was diagnosed with end stage renal disease. I was also diagnosed with having C.H.F. (congestive heart failure) a few years after my bypass. Just like others, I learned to “deal” with the health problems. When I started dialysis I weighed a little over 300 Lbs. I am now down to the mid 230’s. My dry weight is now 107 Kilos and is still dropping. I also have diabetic neuropathy, which is affecting my feet, legs and now my stomach. My doctor prescribed Reglan, which I take at each meal. It is working so far.

Over the past few years my strength has decreased. Shad told me a good exercise regimen will bring my strength back. I hope he is right, only time will tell.

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I started dialysis fourteen years ago. In 200 I had triple bi-pass surgery. In 2002 I had two stints put in.  In 2003 I had another stint and a pacemaker applied. Later, I had a difibulater applied. Also in 2004 my daughter gave me a kidney, which went well but due to antibodies it was rejected. It took my body about a year to over all the rejection. In 2006 I had a pacemaker recall they replaced it.  Praise God that 2007 has been a good year of restoration.

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When I was 8 years of age I became a diabetic and life began to change for me from that time on I lived in a home that didn’t encourage you to be all you can be and I lived a life not caring about who I was and how to take care of the diabetes. When I got older and realized I was destroying my body with the way I was conducting my life I knew I had better change. So that’s when I started reading everything on diets and my eating habits began to change. By then my kidneys were becoming worse and I knew that the change didn’t come quick enough to reverse it. Even though this has happened I will try my best to make a difference in my life and to help others see the importance of good eating habits and lifestyle. I can’t take back what has been done to my body, but I can make sure that the rest of my life is a better one and be in testimony to the world that you can change and except the responsibility that’s before you.

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41 years young J  I worked with the mentally ill for 10 years as a social worker. I was diagnosed with sarcoidosis in 1989; I was on prednisone for 8 years.  I gained 150lbs and was diagnosed with Renal Failure in March of 2007; I started Hemo dialysis 3 times a day. I have lost 46 lbs since treatments. I can adjust to any character and I get along with everyone. I am always optimistic and take life one day at a time.

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I have struggled on dialysis for years dealing with access problems and health issues.  It is difficult to keep my self motivated.  Having new fishing gear will keep me more motivated in life.

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I am John and I have been on Dialysis since 1983.  Have had my problems in the past but I am working on the problem right now.  Before starting Dialysis I was a healthy person, and I want to start working out and eating right. 

Hi my name is Fredrick R and I’m a single dad of one.  I have been on Dialysis for 8 years and my body and strength is not what it used to be, that’s why I want to join this program so I can my mind and body right.  My hobbies and sports and movies;  My son is 16 years old and I at least want to be healthier so I can do things like play basketball and other things like that.  I am so happy about this opportunity you are giving me, and I hope it helps me.                                     
                                                            
Thank you, 
Fred R

Where I live in Pennsylvania we have a lot of hills which make it difficult to conduct a walking program for a long-term dialysis patient. Also, the winter is quite long here and that makes it difficult to keep up a walking program.
I started on Peritoneal Dialysis some years ago. but that turned out to not work out well. I also got Peritonitis twice and had trouble with the catheter.  I was not doing well on PD.   I later had to get a Fistula in my left arm and went on Hemodialysis.  After a while my access stopped working because of scarring from a previous catheter in the subclavian.  I had to get a fistula in my right arm which worked for some years.  I later got a kidney transplant which only lasted 7 months when it rejected.  I went through a difficult hospital stay when they removed the kidney.  After that I went back on dialysis and have been on Hemodialysis ever since.  I believe a treadmill would greatly help me to get on a regular exercise program.  Thank you Matt L

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Story coming soon!

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Story coming soon!

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Story coming soon!

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I have been in dialysis for  four years. I had been under the care of a  nefrologist for several years when blood tests indicatrd  that kidney failure would occur in the near future. I had surgury about a year before the inevitable time to install a fistula. I have tolerated the dialysis proceedure  quite well over the years , never been sick or had a bad session. However over the past year or so one of my arteries has balloned to the point that I had  to have surgury to correct the situation. This is a recent situation and I am in the process of  recovery and healing before i can go back to using my arm for the dialysis procedure.  Thru all this I have always been an active person, with walking as one of my favorite health activity. With the advent of bad weather I have coninued my walking at the local mall on my off dialysis days. I live next door to my son and family and fortunately have the companionship  of my 12 year old grandson on numerous days. I am still able keep up with  him  in various activitys of play.
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My name is Nancy M.  I am 52 years old.  I live in Reedsville, PA with my husband, Chuck.  I have two children and two grandchildren.  I have been on dialysis for 6 months.

I’ve had diabetes since I was 26 years old and high blood pressure for 4 or 5 years.  The doctor kept telling me to get them both under control or my kidneys would go bad, but I never listened good enough.  I started to fill up with fluid all the time and I couldn’t breathe.

When the doctor told me that I had to go on dialysis, I thought my whole life was over I just kept thinking that I wished I could go back in time so I could have time to listen better.

I get headaches when I’m on dialysis.  I have to take pain pills when I’m on (the machine), but after I get off, I feel good.  I can now do a lot of things that I couldn’t do for awhile like going for walks, going shopping, and enjoying my grandchildren more.

When Shad asked me to write a story about my self I thought this would be no problem at all.  However, after months of procrastinating I still do not have my story.  I was worried about how I wanted to portray myself.  How people see me is very important and I could not decide if I wanted people that would read this to see me as the person that is tough and strong or the real me.  I decided on the real Bruce.  The real Bruce is a man that is afraid to face each day because his life has been full of obstacles.  In retrospect the initial obstacle occurred in 1971 when I was diagnosed with diabetes.  It seemed to be the key to many battles to come.  These battles ranged from blindness to high blood pressure, to my current battle, kidney failure. I don’t want people to think my life has not had some bright spots.  There has been many.  The birth of my two children Adrienne and Adam has been a very special event in my life.  Watching them grow and mature into two wonderful young adults gave me the strength to keep battling my daily problems.  My marriage to my wife Millie has been a wonderful part of my life.  She has given me the love that I need and the spiritual guidance that I lacked most of my life. 
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Hi, my name is Barbara.  I am 58 years old.  I started dialysis on Good Friday in 2006.  I was very sick all the time and always tired and run down.  The first treatment I received I was really sick.  After a couple of treatments I could see improvement.  I have been on dialysis for four months and can improvement.  I feel better.  Because of dialysis I can live a better, healthier life.  I am hoping to get am exercise bike in order to improve my health even more and reduce my weight.  I currently go to my local YMCA 3 times per week to use their exercise bikes and pool.  However, in the winter I do not get there very often due to weather conditions.
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My kidney failure started the day I was born.  I started peritoneal dialysis in 2005.  Currently, I am a senior in high school.  After I graduate I would like to go on to become a LPN or RN.  I would like to receive an exercise bike.  I feel that this piece of equipment would help me get in to better shape and loose some weight.
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