Years ago, an older gentleman just started dialysis with my team, and he was in bad shape; confined to a wheelchair, very ill, emotionally and mentally done. I was his primary nurse and took care of him often. I remember sitting with him and his wife, going over dialysis and really just trying to relieve some of the fears and unknowns, at first. I remember him saying “I just want to be able to drive again”. I found out that for 40 years, until he retired, he was a school bus driver. So driving, for him, meant so much more. Even though he wasn’t driving buses anymore, that was his livelihood, that’s what supported his family for years.

I told him, “you hold on to that!! And every day, you feel that you can’t do this, or things are too hard, you remind yourself of that goal!!” Over the course of several months, he got better, stronger and healthier. He went from being wheelchair bound to a walker to a cane….and eventually was able to drive again. It’s amazing to see the transformation that patients can make and it’s important as caregivers to understand the goals patients have for themselves and help them achieve those.