Kidney Patients Support Group provides coping skills, strength
By STEVE EIGHINGER
Herald-Whig Staff Writer
Lana Schmidt has accepted the reality of life on dialysis, but that does not make the challenge any easier.
"It is a shocking lifestyle change to know you have to depend on a machine to stay alive," she said. "If you stop, you will die."
That's why the Kidney Patients Support Group that serves the Quincy and Hannibal, Mo., areas is so important to Schmidt -- and others. There is a unique bond among its members.
"Just to be able to have other kidney patients to talk to is important," she said. "You have your good days and your bad days. We get strength from each other and stay strong together."
Schmidt, who coordinates the support group with Ruby McGartland, is one of those involved with the free kidney and diabetes screening 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at the Blessing Conference Center, 28th and Chestnut. The event is sponsored by Blessing Health System, the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois, Quincy Medical Group and Adams County Medical Society Alliance. March is National Kidney Disease Awareness Month.
Schmidt, who undergoes dialysis three hours a day seven days a week, helped get the group off the ground several years ago. Anywhere from 15 to 30 regularly the attend the monthly gatherings.
Singles, couples, support persons and pre-dialysis patients all attend the meetings. The group has even included those who who have had kidney transplants.
The group offers speakers and helps those involved link to materials, websites, care providers and medical personnel that can help answer their questions.
"We talk about our hopes, frustrations and desires," she said. "We have fun, too. Tasting new kidney friendly recipes, socializing, fundraising and helping with kidney events are all part of the support we both give and receive."
Schmidt, who has been on dialysis for nine years, says those in such a group can relate to and understand the day-to-day hardships of their fellow members.
"I feel like I have missed out on a lot in the last nine years," Schmidt said. "My heart is willing, but the flesh is weak. I have about half the energy I once did ... dialysis does about 45-50 percent of the normal kidney functions."
Schimdt said she remembers when her problems with kidney disease began.
"I thought I had the flu ... but wound up losing 90 percent of my kidney (functions) in three weeks," she said. "I had acute kidney failure and I had no idea ... I was tired, yellow, gray."
Schmidt said she later found out she was 48 hours from death.
The support group promotes not only awareness about kidney disease, but accents the importance of kidney donations.
Kidneys are one of the few organs that can be donated by a live person.
"People can live with one kidney just fine," said Schmidt, who is on a waiting list for a kidney transplant and likes to wear one of the support group's T-shirts that carry the words:
Please don't take your kidneys to heaven,
Heaven knows we need them here.
For more information, contact Schmidt at (217) 617-2888 and lanasch@yahoo.com or McGartland at (217) 653-5439 and rmcgartland@jwcc.edu. Group information can also be accessed at
www.facebook.com/pages/kidneypatientsupportgroup.
-- seighinger@whig.com/221-3377
http://www.whig.com/story/news/Kidney-Support-Group-032111
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