Mochi is my 6 month old Shiba Inu puppy and he loves to play with my dad’s dialysis line. Every evening, Mochi calmly waits for “bubbles time” in the hallway as my dad sets up the bags and the cycler. When the first drain begins, Mochi completely lights up! He chases the bubbles and tries his hardest to trap whatever is in the line. Between cycles, Mochi lies patiently beside the line and anticipates the next round of bubbles.
We have known about my dad’s renal kidney failure for almost three years, and now that we have Mochi, setting up the cycler and completeing dialysis has now become a daily event, rather than a monotonous routine. Watching the dialysis line is often times the highlight of our day. Some nights, we all cram into our narrow hallway, just to watch Mochi tend to “his” line.
When we first got Mochi, we were very cautious because we were afraid that he might try to chew through the line. However, Mochi is very gentle and watches the dialysis line with so much intent; I like to think that he instinctively knows that the line is helping to keep my dad alive. I am walking Kidney March because like Mochi, I just can’t sit still, and walking the Kidney March is my way of chasing the bubbles.
~ Carla, Kidney March 2010 Alumni and her inspirations for Marching.