SEATTLE, Sept. 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — On Sept. 20, 1990, Bill Peckham of Seattle started dialysis treatment when his kidneys failed as a result of chronic kidney disease. Since then, he's become a nationally recognized dialysis advocate, blogger, dedicated volunteer leader with Northwest Kidney Centers, and a key force in establishing the Kidney Research Institute.
Photo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150917/267842
Photo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150917/267843
He volunteered as a trustee of Northwest Kidney Centers for 12 years, serving as board chair from 2007 to 2009 – while working full-time as a sign maker and setting the example for other dialysis patients on how to live life to the fullest: He's traveled to 32 countries and managed to give himself hemodialysis treatments in such diverse locations as a raft on the banks of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, the Vatican, Russia and South Africa.
To commemorate Peckham's 25th dialysis anniversary, donors including Dialysis Clinic, Inc. (DCI) of Nashville, Tenn., have made generous gifts to benefit kidney research and named a conference room in Peckham's honor at Northwest Kidney Centers' Seattle dialysis clinic at 15th Avenue and Cherry Street.
And NxStage is donating Peckham's well-traveled dialysis machine to Northwest Kidney Centers' one-of-a-kind dialysis museum at 700 Broadway in Seattle.
"Bill is one of the most incredible people that I know," said Dr. Doug Johnson, vice chair of DCI, who also was on the Grand Canyon raft trip. "He also happens to need dialysis treatments. Bill inspires me to be a better person and a better leader. He reminds me that life should not be a float trip. In life, as in the river rapids, we need to create our own momentum, face our challenges and work together."
"Sustaining life by using dialysis is not easy," said Peckham. "But with the support of Northwest Kidney Centers I have lived a life much like the one I was meant to live but for kidney disease: a life of work, travel and volunteering. I'm looking forward to the next 25 years."
Northwest Kidney Centers is a regional, not-for-profit, community-based provider of kidney dialysis, public health education, and research into the causes and treatments of chronic kidney disease. Founded in Seattle in 1962, it was the world's first dialysis organization. One of the 10 largest dialysis providers in the United States, it is a model in the field because of its high quality services, community connections and generous donor support. For more information, visit www.nwkidney.org.
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Cynthia Flash
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