Local woman testifies before Congress

Local woman testifies before Congress

By Calen McKinney, Staff Writer
Central Kentucky News Journal
6-20-07

It's helped before and now she hopes it will again.

Frances Clinkscales spent a recent weekend in Washington rubbing elbows with Kentucky and Virginia lawmakers lobbying for more funding for dialysis education.

Clinkscales, 77, suffers from complete kidney failure and undergoes regular dialysis treatments at the Taylor County Dialysis Center.

Her dialysis treatments help circulate blood, she said, something her kidneys would normally do.

Clinkscales also serves as a DaVita Patient Citizens ambassador, one of many around the world who are working to improve the quality of life for dialysis patients through education and advocacy.

DaVita is a nationwide, non-profit, patient-led organization open to dialysis and pre-dialysis patients and their families. DaVita is also the company that runs the Taylor County Dialysis Center.

Clinkscales says she is the only DaVita ambassador from Kentucky. She says she volunteered for the position because she wanted to help spread the word about kidney failure and its treatment.

"You don't hear as much about it as other diseases," she said. "That's what we're trying to do, bring awareness of the disease."

And on June 5-7, Clinkscales traveled to Washington to do just that.

She spent the three days talking to lawmakers about getting more funding for kidney failure education and research.

"It's something that has to be done and I don't mind doing it."

Clinkscales has been a dialysis ambassador for the past three years, ever since she began her treatments.

This past conference was actually her third trip to Washington to lobby for dialysis rights.

Her past two trips to Washington have been in support of a bill lobbying for doctors - not members of Congress - to be able to decide the dosage of a certain medicine dialysis patients receive.

That bill, she said, has since passed and is now law.

During this last trip, she said, her testimony before Kentucky and Virginia lawmakers was well received and she hopes the education funding bill will be introduced during the next legislative session.

At her last conference, Clinkscales spoke to representatives from the offices of Rep. Ron Lewis, Sen. Mitch McConnell and Sen. Jim Bunning and several Virginia lawmakers.

Attending the conferences, she said, allows her to meet other dialysis patients and doctors from all over the world. She once met the doctor who invented the first dialysis machine.

This last trip to Washington helped Clinkscales spread the word about dialysis and helped lawmakers understand what it's like to take the treatments.

During her testimony before lawmakers, Clinkscales said she addressed the need for educating people about what causes kidney failure and how to prevent the disease.

"We need money to do that," she said. "It's easier to prevent it than to try to cure it. It's a lot cheaper.

"Education is such a deterrent."

Talking in front of lawmakers might make some uncomfortable, but Clinkscales says she wasn't nervous at all.

"I just talked to them like I'm talking to you."

Regardless, Clinkscales said, DaVita's conferences always include a session on teaching the ambassadors how to talk to lawmakers.

Clinkscales said the bill she's supporting focuses on education about dialysis through newspaper, radio and television advertisements.

"If there's any way to prevent another from having to take dialysis, I'm willing to do it," she said.

Clinkscales said she's spoken with Lewis at many of the conferences and helped organize his coming to Campbellsville to see the Taylor County Dialysis Center in 2005.

"If they see it," she said, "it's more convincing than me just talking about it."

Clinkscales also suffers from high blood pressure and diabetes but says doctors don't really know what caused her kidney failure.

Nevertheless, she said, she will be on dialysis for the rest of her life because she doesn't want to have a kidney transplant.

Clinkscales says her dialysis treatments usually take about three to four hours and drain her energy.

"It just zaps you," she said.

She arrives at the center for her treatments at 6 a.m. three days a week and usually leaves at about 11 a.m.

Though the treatments aren't pleasant, she said, the workers at the center strive to make them as comfortable as possible.

"They make it so much more acceptable," she said. "[They] keep your mind off what's happening."

Clinkscales says the key to living with kidney failure is never giving up.

"You don't give up," she said. "You keep going as long as you can."

Also important, she said, is a positive attitude.

"It's something that has to be done, so you do it."

Clinkscales says anyone can help lobby for dialysis rights. She says there are several fundraisers that can be planned to help raise money to pay nurses' salaries and promote dialysis education.

Those interested in helping, she said, can contact her or the Taylor County Dialysis Center.

Above all, Clinkscales said, she's just trying to raise awareness and get people talking about dialysis.

"Dialysis can be avoided if we take care of ourselves," she said.

Even though dialysis takes a toll on her, Clinkscales doesn't have any intention of not doing the things she's used to doing.

She keeps busy with church activities, Greater Campbellsville United, Habitat for Humanity and as a member of the Campbellsville City Council.

On the days she has treatments, she says, she tries to just relax.

"I don't intend to [just] sit down [after treatments]," she said. "I can do things. I am a doer."

-Staff Writer Calen McKinney can be reached at 465-8111 Ext. 235 or by e-mail at reporter@cknj.com. Comment on this story at www.cknj.com.