For Sulamon Wong, life changed suddenly and completely.
Born and raised in Knoxville, Sulamon never imagined he would one day spend much of his life connected to a dialysis machine. He had no history of kidney disease and didn’t even know anyone on dialysis. In July 2023, everything shifted.
“I was at work and my ankles and knees started swelling,” Sulamon recalls. “I was retaining so much water to where my legs hurt. I had trouble getting in and out of my car—I was like a big water balloon.” Soon came a kidney biopsy, and “next thing you know, I am on dialysis.”
Life on Dialysis
Sulamon describes dialysis as both physically and emotionally exhausting.
“Dialysis days are rough, draining. Your whole body is super drained,” he says. “You’re closer to death—that’s what it feels like. I shouldn’t think like that, but it’s a natural reality.”
At first, Sulamon tried to keep working full time while undergoing dialysis, determined to maintain a sense of normalcy. For two years, he pushed himself to go straight from treatment to his job as a retail sales consultant.
“I was leaving here and going straight to work,” he explains. “It was commission-based, and it was a struggle to make ends meet. My body constantly felt overcooked.”
The stress took a toll. “I thought it could be done, but in reality it was doing more damage to my body,” Sulamon says. “Anybody who works on dialysis—it will catch up to you. It caught up to me.”
Eventually, Sulamon had to make the difficult decision to step away from work and focus on his health. “You want to work, but you don’t realize that you’re disabled to work,” he shares. “Anything you try to do, you can’t do it at the same rate.”
The Hidden Cost of Time
Dialysis doesn’t just affect the body, it takes time, one of the most valuable resources a person has.
“Time is the most valuable resource,” Sulamon says. “Being on dialysis takes up the most valuable resource for someone to make money. Almost twenty four hours of my life per week is here.”
Even on days he doesn’t feel up to it, he still has to attend treatment. “There was a day I thought, ‘I don’t feel like dialyzing,’ but I still have to come. You have to be on a machine to keep you alive.”
Help That Makes a Difference
As medical bills and everyday expenses add up, transportation costs can become a serious barrier to care. That’s where East Tennessee Kidney Foundation’s travel reimbursement program has made a meaningful impact.
“There have been times I am on my last,” Sulamon shares. “I could be on half a tank and [the check helps] get me here. It is very vital to help this circumstance.”
Sulamon admits that asking for help isn’t easy. “Nobody wants to be in a position where you ask another human being for help. Nobody owes you anything,” he says. But East Tennessee Kidney Foundation’s support has eased a heavy burden.
“You guys set up a gas program and it goes a lot further than people understand,” Sulamon explains. “Those gas checks help out tremendously. Especially when I was going to work—I was only making enough to get to and from work and dialysis.”
With reduced income, increased medical expenses, and the cost of maintaining his home, even small amounts of assistance matter. “It does more help than harm,” he says. “It goes farther than a little bit. A little goes a long way.”
When asked what life would look like without this support, Sulamon doesn’t hesitate. “I don’t even want to think about it,” he says. “It would be twenty times harder than it is right now.”
Looking Ahead
Despite the challenges, Sulamon keeps going. “I think about skipping treatment daily,” he admits. “But I’ve just never been able to quit.”
He finds encouragement in the people around him. “The dietician is great, the social worker is great, the techs are great,” he says, even as he manages side effects like cramping that can strike at any time.
Sulamon hopes his story helps others better understand what life on dialysis is really like. “Your whole life changes in an instant,” he says. For those just starting dialysis, his advice is simple but powerful: “Appreciate your time at this place because life is too short. Try to develop a routine that gets you through your treatment and gets you closer to fighting for a transplant.”
And for those not on dialysis? “Take care of your health more,” Sulamon says. “I can’t really explain it to a person that isn’t on it. You gotta go through it.”
Through programs like travel reimbursement, East Tennessee Kidney Foundation helps ensure that patients like Sulamon can continue lifesaving treatment, one trip at a time.
Be The Gift
For those inspired by Sulamon’s story, there are ways to help make a difference. Becoming a living donor can offer someone the chance at a longer, healthier life. Learn more by visiting Tennessee Donor Services at https://tennesseedonor.org/. To support patients in our community through programs like travel reimbursement, or to learn more about the East Tennessee Kidney Foundation’s mission, visit https://etkidney.org. Your support helps ensure that no patient has to face kidney disease alone.