Cruising the Seas with Marie, a DaVita Patient

By Carrie Lundy, from the LifeLines at Home newsletter

Marie Price is a "fearless" home hemodialysis (HHD) patient and traveler who practically makes a cruise ship her second home. Since starting HHD in September 2010, she and her husband have been on cruises to the Panama Canal, Alaska, Hawaii and the Western Caribbean, with many other land trips in between. She says cruising is their favorite way to vacation.

Marie likes to encourage other people on dialysis to not be afraid to travel.

"Just check your packing list several times so you don’t forget something important," she says.

And even if you do forget something, it’s not the end of the world. On a recent cruise to Hawaii, Marie discovered that they’d left a critical piece of equipment at home. On top of that, bad weather prevented the delivery of a replacement to the next port. But Marie’s HHD supplier, home nurse and the cruise ship all worked together to get Marie the equipment she needed to resume treatment with no ill effects.

Marie says that traveling on HHD is the same as doing HHD at home, with the addition of packing everything and making simple arrangements for supplies to be delivered.

"We can go anywhere there is an A/C plugin," she adds. Marie and her husband do plan their trips several months in advance to avoid any stress with last-minute coordination of supplies.

"With HHD, it’s so easy to travel," Marie bubbles. "We enjoy the new sights we see, the new activities, the new friends we make and the wonderful memories we treasure for the rest of our lives."