Dialysis Patient Advocacy Association

Ms Christina Chamberlain
Email: ghighi123@hotmail.com

Chris Chamberlain
Email: ghighi123@hotmail.com
506 Beecher St.
Louisville Ky 40215
Home: 502.366.7600

Dialysis Patient Advocacy Association

Keep the Faith, Renal Patients

Facing end stage renal failure can become a nightmare.
For many people in the Louisville area it has become one they cannot wake up from. Existing on dialysis is not an answer to the question of ''Is this my life''?

Dealing with a serious illness can be more than a challenge, it can be overwhelming.

Diets, medications, and dialysis treatments and terminology can boggle your mind. It can seem a little like trying to juggle too many balls at one time. Once one falls it's easy to give up on the rest.

Keeping a positive attitude can be the key to your success. With a constant focus on illness it can be a challege to create wellness.
We all know that having a chronic illness can make you feel powerless.
Gaining control over your illness can be the first step to wellness.

Sometimes having the information you need just isn't enough to get you over the ''hump'' into doing what you should be doing.

What is the answer ? Ask anyone who has survived a long term illness and they will tell you. It takes determination, support and work.

That is what this Association is all about. Patients who face the same thing everyday, joining to face the issues together.

Getting Organized

Our goal is to find one lead person in each dialysis center in Louisville to pick up the ball. Post a few flyers and talk to a few people.

We are realistic and we know that not everyone in your unit is well enough to want to get involved. That's okay.
Because what we do is for them too. We will become a voice for those too tired to speak.

If this ''lead person'' can find one person on each shift who is likewise interested we will have our representation in each unit.

Sharing the leg work and having comrades in the trenches will make it easier and more fun. As each unit develops their own group, we will have a very nice view of dialysis in our fair city. What the problems are and needs are is our focus right now.

What we should end up with is 7 people in each unit,including the lead person. This will be a great start and the basis for the unit's own excutive committee.
You will be able to create ideas and solutions to your units own unique needs.Since we have 10 units operating in Louisville, that will give our Association aa administrative base of 70 active and working people.
That, is a whole lot of creative power. See our page about organizational ideas.

Getting Out The Word

Talking is what we do as we wait. Waiting seems to be an important factor when it comes to dialysis. If you are not waiting to get on,or waiting to get off, or waiting for transportion, you are waiting for a transplant.

They don't call us patients for nothing ! Patience ? Ah well, my point is use this time to talk up what is that we can do. Stop complaining and saying ''Wouldn't it be nice if we could....'' ? Make a list. There are so many things we could do but... The thing is, no one will take you seriously until you organize. ORGANIZE.