Treatment won't stop spunky Sterling woman
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| Alex T. Paschal/Gazette Elsie Yarde shares a laugh with Jennie Lench Wednesday while undergoing dialysis in Sterling. Yarde won't let her age - 99 - or trips to the dialysis clinic three times a week slow her down. |
BY OLIVIA COBISKEY
SVN REPORTER
ocobiskey@svnmail.com
Elsie Yarde has packed a lot of life into her 99 years.
In 1927, she taught at a country school north of Tampico, and got to the job in a Model T Ford. During World War II, she assembled fuses for bazooka shells at the Green River Ordnance plant between Dixon and Amboy. After the war, she worked at various retail stores around the Sauk Valley.
Unlike many people nearing the century mark, the Sterling resident has surrendered nothing to age.
She still drives.
She surfs the Internet.
She lives in her own home.
And she undergoes dialysis three times a week.
If you think she's on her deathbed though, think again.
Dialysis "is a lifesaver," Yarde said.
Six years ago, when doctors told her she would need a machine to perform the duties her failing kidneys could not, she was bewildered. "I was a little confused because I wasn't familiar with dialysis," she said. "I guess I was more shocked than anything."
Now, it's become her way of life.
"It's not a death sentence, by any means," said Kelly Loechel, a patient care technician at DaVita Whiteside Dialysis, in Sterling, where Yarde gets her treatment.
Dialysis patients can live active lives, hold down jobs, vacation - "there's even a dialysis cruise," said Loechel, 28, of Lyndon. "So, their life really isn't over."
That's not to say their lives are not changed. Dialysis patients must regulate their salt and fluid intake, and follow a diet low in potassium but high in phosphates, found in foods such as milk, cheese, bananas, potatoes, tomatoes and broccoli.
"It's a group effort. (Patients) really have to do their part as well as what we can do for them," Loechel said.
Because of her age, Yarde was not a candidate for a kidney transplant, and that was fine with her.
"It's the younger people who should get those (organs) if they're available," she said, as the dialysis machine filtered toxins out of her blood, a process that takes nearly four hours a day, during which patients can watch television, read, nap or visit with their favorite technicians and nurses.
People shouldn't worry if their doctor uses the d-word, Yarde said.
"You will be ... taken care of very well, and you'll grow accustomed to the schedule," she said. "You'll also meet a lot of nice people."
One such person Yarde met is Helen Bennett, whose husband, Bob, has been on dialysis for more than three years.
"We kind of lean on each other," Bennett said, as she helped Yarde with her coat. "I think the hardest part is when we lose one of the patients. We're such a close-knit group, when one of them passes on, it's like losing one of the family."
Cheryl Scykes, 45, of Rock Falls, agreed.
Scykes has been coming to the center nearly 20 years. Her son, Brianlee Scykes, 26, started dialysis when he was only 7.
After losing his fourth kidney, Brianlee can have no more transplants, and so will be on dialysis for the rest of his life.
There is very little difference between him and any other 26-year-old, his mom said, other than the three times a week he undergoes dialysis, or "fun-alysis" as the family likes to call it.
"We think of it as his relaxation time; it's about the only time he sleeps," she said.
Sometimes, even dialysis cannot offer hope. Scykes lost her 19-year-old daughter, Betty Irene, on Dec. 18, 2003, after an infection made dialysis impossible.
She tells families to stay strong and try not to take their frustration out on each other.
Bennett agreed.
"It helps if (families and patients) have a positive attitude," Bennett said. "If they can have an interest, along with a positive attitude, that goes a long way. You need to get into something that occupies your mind."
For Bob and Brianlee, it's sports. For Yarde, an avid bird watcher, it's catching sight of chickadees, downy woodpeckers and juncos in her backyard.
Yarde believes herself to be pretty lucky. Other than her failing kidneys, she's in good health.
"I have good genes," she said with a laugh. "I've always been active. So, that's a plus."
Reach Olivia Cobiskey at (815) 625-3600 or (800) 798-4085, ext. 535.
