By Sheri Sauthoff, RN, BSN, CNN Ask kidney patients of any age what dialysis most interrupts and you'd likely get the same answer: independence. So, when an opportunity arises to taste freedom, even for a few fleeting moments, patients and their families will snap it up. The Vacation Kidney Center of the Rockies is one of the few places where kids can simply be kids. This is a place where horseback riding, archery, swimming and canoeing are the norm. And where, before breakfast, a handful of young summer campers will slip away long enough to receive treatment from one of five hemodialysis stations…or after evening activities to spend the night and receive their peritoneal dialysis treatment. Named for and inspired by Colorado's first diabetic kidney transplant recipient, the Marcia Lortscher Vacation Kidney Center of the Rockies is a joint project of the YMCA of the Rockies, the National Kidney Foundation of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, Inc. and the University of Colorado Hospital. Located on the grounds of Snow Mountain Ranch YMCA, the center offers dialysis treatments in a resort setting. Chief Camp Ouray at Snow Mountain Ranch, a summer camp for children ages 8 to 17 - has been including children with kidney disease in its program since 1975. During their children's week away at camp, parents have the opportunity to either stay at home or at nearby Winter Park , Colo. -- a year-round resort destination. "It's so healing for children to spend time side-by-side with other non-dialysis campers and know that they can participate in normal camp activities," says VKC Charge Nurse Sheri Sauthoff. "But the side effect for parents is that they, too, can take in breathtaking scenery, get out and ride bikes and even enjoy wonderful dinners while resting assured their children are receiving world-class treatment." The University of Colorado Hospital and the Children's Hospital of Denver staff this summer escape. Back up medical contingencies are available on a 24-hour basis to guarantee the dialysis patient all the comfort and safety necessary during dialysis procedures. Ground and air service to Denver 's University of Colorado Hospital is also available if necessary. Through The Scott Hughes Endowment Fund, eligible campers may also receive scholarships to help finance their trip to Colorado and their experience at Camp Chief Ouray. The Vacation Kidney Center is operational from February to November each year. The children who attend Camp Chief Ouray are offered a week long session in the summer. If you are interested in learning more, visit the center's web site at www.uhcolorado.edu/vkc or call 1-800-578-3432. Sheri Sauthoff has been working at the Vacation Kidney Center for four years. A graduate of the University of Missouri with a BSN in Nursing, Sheri is a certified nephrology nurse and has been a hemodialysis nurse and administrator for 16 years. This article originally appeared in the September 2002 issue of aakpRENALIFE, Vol. 18, No. 2.
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