Bringing hemodialysis home: Kenneth is thriving with more freedom

Being able to stay in his own home for treatment was another big benefit for Kenneth. Now he can do his dialysis treatment surrounded by things that are familiar to him. “Being at home with my bed, my house, my smells, my sounds, in a place of comfort, was the biggest thing for me,” Kenneth explains.

Being at home has also made him feel more in control of his disease. Kenneth says that when his care team explained home dialysis, they told him he would feel more empowered. “When I came home, I felt like I was handling my disease,” he says. “I felt like, ‘I can do this. I’ve got this.’ And that’s when I really started feeling like, okay, I have control over this disease.”

His care team was a big part of his success with home hemodialysis. The education and training they provided gave him the confidence to treat at home. “They said, take as much time as you need,” he explains. “And they gave me that time to get comfortable with things. And then once I was comfortable, we went to the next step and the next and next.

Kenneth says that he now encourages anyone thinking about home hemodialysis to “go for it!” The freedom and comfort have been worth it, and for Kenneth it’s the best thing he’s done so far to manage his kidney disease.

“I am thriving with home hemodialysis because I can live my life,” says Kenneth. “I don't have to live my life around a schedule as far as where I have to go, when I have to be there. I'm living my life. I live it to the utmost!”