Portable dialysis machine makes family vacation possible

Friday, Aug. 22, 2008
Dialysis patient takes story on the road
Stop in Lee’s Summit part of 51-day journey
By Brett Dalton, The Journal Staff

Earlier this month, a 57-year-old man and his two grandsons completed a 37-state, 12,500-mile trip across the country in a 39-foot RV.

That feat, on its own merits, makes for an interesting story to tell. It’s one of not only extra money and some spare time, but also one of a grandfather’s immense love for his grandchildren and his desire to spend extensive quality time together.

But then consider this. The grandfather has a kidney disease that forced the military to decline his services nearly 40 years ago. He once received a kidney transplant from his wife, only to discover that kidney failed two years later. And for seven years, he had to visit a dialysis center three days a week — no exceptions.

“Dealing with dialysis and having to go to dialysis centers is kind of like a prison sentence,” said Harvey Wells, who suffers from end-stage renal disease. “You have to be at that center every day at a certain time. So if something comes up, you think ‘Do I go do this, or do I go get the treatment that I know I need.’ So you’re stuck in that cycle.”

Harvey Wells is stuck no more. Thanks to a NxStage System One, a portable dialysis machine, Wells can administer his treatments whenever and wherever he wants. For most of the summer, that meant he can administer the treatment in Washington D.C. or on his way to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota or even in sunny southern California. That’s the beauty of his new form of treatment. Wells, who resides outside of Dallas, Texas, now has his life back.

“I’m not so limited now to what I can do or when I can do it,” he said. “This machine has really opened up so much more for me and my life.”

Wells and his grandsons spent one of their 51 days on the road in Lee’s Summit. On Aug. 12, they visited the DSI Lee’s Summit Renal Center to speak with others who suffer from kidney disease and to spread the word about his portable dialysis device.

In fact, a good portion of his road trip was spent at dialysis centers throughout the United States. The machine, which is about the size of a 13-inch television, has done so much for Wells’ life that he wanted to share that possibility with others.

“This has done so much for me, I’d be remiss if I didn’t get out and do something to let other people know about it,” said Wells, who visited 22 dialysis centers during his trip. “So I wanted to incorporate this as part of my trip show others the flexibility it allows.”

During his stop at the Lee’s Summit center, which is operated by DSI Kansas City, Wells parked his RV in the parking lot and allowed local patients to come aboard and check out the machine while he was administering his own treatment.

Rebecca Morris, DSI Kansas City’s facility manager, said nine of DSI’s dialysis patients are currently utilizing the in-home, or portable, treatment program. She said Wells’ trip across America was a great way to show patients the opportunities that are available. She also said she hopes more patients will be able to be on in-home treatment in the future.

“I certainly hopes it swings that way down the road,” Morris said. “It allows patients to go back to work, go to back to school or even travel.”

Morris said in-home patients administer the treatment more frequently — six days a week versus three days a week for in-center patients. Because of that, she said those patients often feel better and are healthier than patients who are forced to or choose to receive treatment at dialysis centers.

Wells’ journey across America wasn’t a full-fledged marketing campaign set up by the machine’s manufacturers, Wells said. However, when the manufacturer learned of Wells’ trip, they happily donated a little cash in exchange for the word-of-mouth publicity.

“I told them I was going to do this one way or another,” Wells said. “But I was very appreciative that they came on board and helped fund the trip a little bit. They offered some compensation for each center I stopped at.”

According to U.S. Renal Data System, roughly one million people worldwide suffer from end-stage renal disease, with an estimated 472,000 living in the United States. Those numbers are expected to double within the next 10 to 15 years. More than 84,000 die each year in the United States due to ESRD.

The NxStage System One received FDA clearance in 2005. The system differs from previous home dialysis treatments by not requiring water processing or specialized electrical systems. Due to the simplicity of the treatment, it can be delivered by a trained lay person, such as the patient or their trained partner.

For more information about NxStage System One, visit www.nxstage.com.
bdalton@lsjournal.com

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