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Patient Story - HarveyHarvey, now 57, first learned he had reduced kidney function when he was 18-years-old following a physical examination when attempting to enroll in the US Navy. However, his kidneys never presented a problem for him until the age of 42, when he was also suffering from very high blood pressure. Through improving his diet, Harvey was able to avoid kidney failure for some time, but eventually, in January 1998, needed to begin dialysis treatments to survive. By June of the same year, he received a kidney transplant from his wife that would last eight years before eventually failing. He began traditional dialysis at a treatment center three times a week lasting four and half hours each session. 
These treatments often left Harvey feeling fatigued. He recalls, “I would get home and only be able to sit in a chair for a while, and that was about it.” He was forced to stop working and found traveling very difficult, as he needed to make appointments at centers where he was visiting and work with their already close-to-full schedules. The overall transition was difficult. “It can be depressing to suddenly be tethered to a machine for something your body once did on its own,” he says. Thankfully, a relative, who is a nurse, told him about a different option: a portable dialysis machine, called the NxStage System One, which would not only enable him to do his treatments at home but also on a more frequent basis. In the spring of 2007, he began training at a local dialysis center with his wife to learn how to use the machine. Initially he was apprehensive about dialyzing on his own at home, in particular sticking himself with needles, but says he learned quickly and has become confident in his own treatments and care. Now, dialysis at home has “become second nature, like brushing my teeth or combing my hair,” says Harvey. Since he is dialyzing more frequently, he has more energy and feels better. His blood pressure is now at a healthy level, and he no longer needs blood pressure medication. Doing dialysis on his own schedule allowed Harvey to return to work and spend more time doing things he enjoys, in particular traveling and spending time with his family. In 2007, he and his wife took their two grandsons on a two-week road trip in his RV spanning 3,700 miles and 11 states visiting interesting cities and sites – something he says he “never would have dreamed of” without the flexibility of the NxStage System. In the summer of 2008, Harvey expanded "Grandpa's Road Trip” to a 51-day excursion covering more than 12,500 miles and 37 states, with stops at presidential libraries, national parks and other sites. Along the way, he did his dialysis treatments with a partner in his RV and also took the time to visit 22 dialysis centers to talk to kidney patients about at-home hemodialysis as an option. This year, “Grandpa’s Road Trip 2009: The Football Tour” will begin on Sunday, September 13, 2009 in Cleveland. During the tour, Harvey – an avid football fan – will be attending games in Denver, Baltimore, Buffalo, Pittsburg, Chicago, Detroit, Cincinnati, and Kansas City, and spending several days at local dialysis centers in each city meeting with kidney patients and educating them about home hemodialysis. He notes that daily home hemodialysis has given him a new, positive outlook on his long-term health. “I think I can live a long time with this little machine,” he says. “It has completely changed my life.” You can view more of Harvey’s story at the following sites:
Click here to view our policy regarding links to third party websites. This patient has given NxStage Medical Inc. permission to share his/her experience with daily home therapy on the NxStage System One. The experiences reported by this patient will not necessarily be experienced by you. All patients differ and their experiences will vary. 
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