By Wilfred Dow

April 1, 2002, was truly the first day of the rest of my life. It was the first day I had dialysis in a Madison, Wis., hospital. Everyone told me things would be fine. That advice was hard to believe, considering the way I felt. After dialysis at the hospital, I transferred to a dialysis unit in Watertown, Wis. The dialysis unit was considered to be one of the best in the state.

I arrived at the unit around 5 a.m. in a wheel chair. It took a couple of weeks of dialyzing before I regained some of my strength back, and within a month I was driving myself the 17 miles to the center. The dialysis unit is equipped with exercise machines. I asked a nurse about the exercise bikes I saw some patients using. She explained to me the benefits that could be gained from using the stationary bikes. I did some research and found the AAKP Web site, where I learned more about the benefits dialysis patients can gain from exercise.

I worked with a physical therapist to develop an exercise program. By summer, I was riding at least one hour during treatment at a speed of four miles per hour. On sunny days, I would ride my recumbent bike the 17 miles to the dialysis center. I then thought about riding over to Michigan for Stanley Luykx’s Grand Convocation of Royal Arch Masons of Michigan. He rode his bicycle to my Freemasonry Grand Session in Green Bay in June 2001. On conferring with him, I decided to ride to Bay City, Mich., July-August of 2005. I mentioned this to Amy Eckert, a social worker. Her eyes rolled back in her head. She then looked at me and said, “You are serious, aren’t you?” When the staff heard about what I was planning, they thought I could do it and encouraged me. I worked with Amy to set up nine dialysis sessions at different centers over the three-week period it would take me to finish the bike ride. The distance was about 600 miles. I tried my best to avoid areas with gravel roads. It did rain two days during the trip and we had to travel by van to keep up with the dialysis schedule.

Debbie Talaga, LCSW, of Regional Dialysis Services of Bay City, Mich., worked hard to prepare for my arrivals. At every stop, she greeted me with a finish line, which was set up just outside each dialysis center. It was decorated with banners and a map of the road I had traveled. We would then go inside to a welcoming buffet that was enjoyed by everyone. One day she looked at me and asked, “How old are you?” “Seventy-one years old, the 28th of this month,” was my reply.

The greetings we received along the way were terrific. The hope and the encouragement that was generated in all the patients could not be replaced. I believe many patients realized they could have an active life with dialysis after meeting me. Since that time, I’ve traveled all over the United States and I love sharing my story. AAKP said I could and I did. I may even do it again!

[Editor’s note: On March 6, 2007 Wilfred Dow received a kidney transplant at University of Wisconsin Hospital.]

This article originally appeared in the September 2008 issue of aakpRENALIFE.

Back