As I’ve previously said, my first two dialysis sessions took place in hospital. After I was discharged, my doctor told me he had arranged for me to have my next session at one of the local dialysis treatment centres. And that centre would be my base for treatment from then.
My first session at the centre was scheduled for Monday3 February 2025 at 4:00 PM. I was requested to arrive at 3:15 PM to register and go through orientation.
Craig accompanied me to my first session. Following my registration I was introduced to the centre manager, who explained how everything was going to work and answered my questions about the process. From there, we went into the treatment room, and I was soon connected for my first session with my new medical team.
My guide dog Normandy also came with me to the centre. However, I didn’t feel it would work for him to remain with me for the entire time at my introductory session. I wanted to learn more about the venue and the process and was concerned that having Normandy there might distract me from focusing on what I needed to discover. Thankfully, Normandy was welcomed by the medical team, which meant I wouldn’t have any difficulty bringing him in the future. Still, I was grateful that he returned home with Craig once we had given him a chance to see where he would be guiding me. Then he and Craig left me ready for my first treatment.
It was obvious from the start that finding transport to and from the centre was a priority for me to solve. I knew that Craig wouldn’t be able to help me every time due to work and other commitments. So I began considering my options.
Of course, I knew that I could always catch a rideshare. But I’ll admit I wasn’t enthusiastic about the idea of resorting to Uber for the return trip home which might be as late as 8:00 PM. On top of that, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel after dialysis and was concerned that I might need a little more emotional and physical support than I could expect from an Uber driver –that just seems a little over and above the call of duty, doesn’t it? Still, Uber was the first solution I considered.
Ultimately, I decided to approach my friends to see if anyone might be able to help. Again I chose to post on Facebook. And was completely overwhelmed at the number of people who offered to assist me. After chatting to each one to find out what they were willing to do, it seemed easiest to set up a WhatsApp group and use that to sort out the logistics for each week.
One of the first people to offer, Wendy, gave me a great idea to simplify the group process. She suggested I create a poll for each week so people could offer to lift me on days that would be convenient for them. Right now it seems strange to me that I had no clue how to set up WhatsApp polls, since I’m doing it every week. But back then I had no idea of how to go about it. Thankfully, my tech guru friend Marriet gave me a basic idea, and I was able to figure everything out from there.
I have now been at the dialysis centre for almost 3 months, and my system appears to be working well. At this stage I have twelve people on the group, including Craig and myself. I’d like to add a few more people onto the group and will do so when I have time to reach out to my network again.
Earlier this month, Craig and I held a small gathering to thank those who are assisting me. It was a small gesture that allowed me to express my gratitude to everyone who is making such a contribution to my dialysis journey.
Many thanks to the following people who are helping me: Andy, Ann, Caro, Craig, Jason, Jill, Joy, Lucky, Ruth, Ryan, Shaakir, Wendy
My thanks to you all.
I’d like to end with a brief story that sums up how wonderful the friends and colleagues in my life are. When I put out that Facebook post Roselyn, who I hadn’t spoken to for several years, reached out offering me a lift home on that first Friday at the centre. When I climbed into her car, I asked her where she lived. It turned out that her home was 45 minutes’ away, and that it would take her an additional 45 minutes to return home after dropping me. When I expressed my surprise at her willingness to travel such a distance to give me a lift, she told me that she probably wouldn’t be able to help in the future, as a single mom with busy teenagers and that her job often required her to work late. But she wanted to help me the one time she was able to. All I could do was shake my head in awe at how generous the human spirit can be.
If you would like to be part of the amazing community of friends who are assisting me with transport to and from my treatments, please just let me know. For context, both my home and the dialysis centre are in the Southern suburbs of Cape Town.
