Joeli Vidiri supports Kidney Society Auckland Annual Appeal

Former Auckland Blues and All Blacks winger, Joeli Vidiri’s rugby playing career ended prematurely when he was diagnosed with kidney disease. Since then, he has been on dialysis treatment which cleanses his blood and is essential for his body to function.

Although Mr Vidiri needs to use a dialysis machine for five hours a day, three times a week, he currently coaches the Counties-Manukau Rugby Sevens Team and leads a full and active life.

Mr Vidiri says he can relate to patients and families who need the support of Kidney Society Auckland and for this reason he is supporting the Kidney Society Auckland Annual Appeal during the week of March 9 -15, 2009.

“The Kidney Society helps people like me and my fellow patients. If we have problems or need someone to talk to, we call them. They help us do ordinary things like everyone else even though we need dialysis,” says Mr Vidiri.

People who have kidney failure must have treatment to live. Treatment for this condition is dialysis several times a day or week or a kidney transplant. All these treatments have a significant impact on the individual and their families.

“For patients it means losing some of their independence and it can disrupt family life in many ways. Maintaining a sense of wellness and self worth can be very challenging,” says Nora Van der Schrieck, the Executive Director of Kidney Society Auckland, “but it is possible for people with kidney failure to feel good and enjoy life, with a little help.”

She says that unlike Joeli, people often find it very difficult to adjust to a different level of fitness, and to develop a new sense of “feeling well” that enables them to get on with life. “Going to the gym when you don’t have the looks and the energy to keep up with others can be very daunting,” she explains.

The Kidney Society Wellness Programme, the first of its kind in Australasia focuses on encouraging and helping people with kidney failure to maximise their fitness level even while they may be deteriorating physically, as is common with kidney failure. It provides individual patients with tailor-made exercise programmes according to what each individual wants to achieve. This may be a modified gym programme, water aerobics or Tai Chi – or it may be a gentle home-based chair exercise routine. Someone’s goal may be as simple as once again being able to get to church when that has not been possible because getting down the front steps is just too hard. For others, a slow and steady build-up of strength to qualify for acceptance onto the transplant waiting list can be achieved with a little help.

For almost 30 years Kidney Society Auckland has supported thousands of people with kidney failure and their families by helping them live as normal a life as possible. They currently support 1300 clients in Auckland and Northland to ‘get on with life’ by offering services such as the Wellness Programme, home visits and phone support, information and educational events and a community dialysis house for people to dialysis independently away from a hospital environment

Kidney Society Auckland is the only organisation of its kind in New Zealand delivering free professional support services to kidney patients and their families outside of the health service. Kidney Society Auckland relies on the generosity of Trusts and Foundations, businesses and individuals to fund their work and is facing a growing demand for its services of around 4-8% per year.

To donate to the Kidney Society Auckland Annual Appeal visit www.kidneysociety.co.nz  or you can make a $20 donation by calling 0900 KIDNEY (0900 543639).