Renal patient raises money for dialysis unit

Lloyd Bailey is a regular visitor to the Smethwick Dialysis Unit, a specialist dialysis facility in Birmingham which offers treatments to patients from the region. Lloyd has kidney problems and has been receiving dialysis three days per week for many years. His treatment forms a major part of his life, as he needs to be connected to his dialysis machine for 4.5 hours at a time.

Lloyd recently decided that he wanted to do something to give back to the Smethwick Dialysis Unit and the staff there who treat him. Inspired by the Summer fete that was held at the Unit, Lloyd decided to host his own fundraising event, at the Holly Bush pub in Smethwick.

After spreading the word of this fundraising event to his friends and family, Lloyd was soon inundated with items for him to auction off at the event to raise money for the Unit.

Amongst the prizes that were on offer that night were a bike, a television, a laptop and a signed West Bromwich Albion football shirt.

Jenny Fryatt works at the Smetwick Dialysis Unit, and has been involved in Lloyd’s treatment. She said: “This goes to show how popular Lloyd is in his own social circles and in the community, for people to donate all of these prizes.”

The night was a great success, raising £2,160 for the unit. Lloyd said: “I was overwhelmed by the response and I was so happy to be able raise money for this place. They give me a lot so I’m just happy to give something back.”
Lloyd is a popular patient at the unit, and is their self-care champion. He explained: “I’m able to free up one of the nurses, as I set up my machine myself, sort out the needles and then take myself off the treatment when I’m done.”

Jenny added: “We hope that one day Lloyd might be able to take it a step further and dialyse at home, which would make things even easier for him. We met Lloyd when the unit opened four years ago, and we’ve all loved getting to know him since then.”

The money that Lloyd has raised will go towards a new ice machine for the unit. Renal patients have to be very careful about their fluid intake, as many of them cannot produce urine. Jenny explained: “Patients have to be really careful, if they’re drinking water they’ve got to tally it up so they stay within their limit. By sucking an ice cube, patients can have the feeling of drinking lots of water without taking on too much fluid. Just a 20ml ice cube can help them feel much less thirsty.”

Lloyd is delighted to have been able to raise enough money to fund this machine, and is looking to hold another fundraising event in the New Year.