James is a very busy man. He's a Colonel. As a substitute high school teacher, he teaches science and language arts. He's secretary of his homeowners association in Lakewood, Washington. He guides an Amer-Asian family from Vietnam, whom he has sponsored since 1982. He likes cooking and many other hobbies. James also does home hemodialysis (HD).

When James began in-center HD, he quickly saw that it meant much time away from home. He felt debilitated after his treatments. So, he looked into treatment options. He found home HD, and decided to give it a try. James was one of the first people to dialyze at home using the Aksys PHD®. In February 2007, the PHD was taken off the market and James switched to a NxStage System One™ machine.

James has a treatment space at home where comfort and convenience come first. "I dialyze 5 days a week, and spend that time doing things I enjoy. I spend time with my wife, talk to friends on the phone, use my computer and listen to my favorite music," he explained. "I take Saturdays and Mondays off so I can go to a (University of Washington) Huskies game if they are playing."

Since James began dialyzing more often, he's had more appetite and feels much better. He's also off all blood pressure pills.

Besides his other pursuits, James help teach others about kidney disease. He speaks to dietitian students from Washington State University. James and his wife take part in patient education on daily home HD. His story is in the National Kidney Foundation's "Home Hemodialysis" brochure, as well as here on Home Dialysis Central.

"It is vital for others to see and know the progress many of us have made by using daily home HD," James added.