Every night, Bill Scott hooks himself up to a dialysis machine before going to sleep. It’s a routine he never imagined would define his life, one he hopes will soon come to an end.
Bill is currently on peritoneal dialysis (PD), a form of dialysis that allows patients to receive treatment at home. For him, it’s a far better alternative than in-clinic hemodialysis (HD), which he endured for several months before switching.
“I was on hemodialysis for several months before I got on PD. It killed me. I hate hemodialysis,” Bill said. “It knocked me out every day I came.”
With hemodialysis, patients typically travel to a dialysis center three times a week, where a machine filters waste and excess fluid from the blood. Bill remembers how draining it was.
“I was here at 5:45 a.m. With hemodialysis, it knocked me out. I went home and slept the rest of the day.”
Peritoneal dialysis, on the other hand, uses the lining of the abdomen to filter blood and is often done overnight while patients sleep. Bill says the difference has been life-changing.
“With PD, one day every two weeks, I feel really bad,” he said. “It’s great. I hook up at night and go to sleep.”
Still, even with PD, dialysis takes a heavy toll.
Family, Support, and the Long Wait
Bill’s family is his motivation. As a father of four and a grandfather of two, he enjoys the time he is able to spend with them.
“I want to see them grow up,” he said.
His daughter lives in Bristol, Virginia, and helps care for him. His in-laws also provide support. One of Bill’s sons has stepped forward as a living kidney donor.
“My oldest is in Boston. He’s giving me a kidney if everything works out.”
But finding a donor isn’t always straightforward. Bill explained that some willing donors are ultimately unable to give due to medical history.
“My daughter wanted to give me a kidney, but she couldn’t. She was sick from sepsis at 19.”
Bill is currently waiting for his transplant through Duke University, where doctors require him to stay nearby for two weeks after surgery and plan logistics weeks in advance.
His son’s kidney will be removed in Boston and transported to Duke for the transplant.
“There’s one hundred thousand people at any time on the waiting list for a kidney,” Bill said.
Life on Dialysis: Limits Beyond the Machine
Dialysis doesn’t just affect Bill’s health, it limits where he can go and what he can do.
“I can’t skip treatment. Traveling and being on dialysis really sucks,” he said.
Bill has lived all over the country and the world. Losing the ability to travel freely has been one of the hardest adjustments.
“I’ve seen a lot. It’s nice to get away and not get stuck.”
Like many dialysis patients, Bill has also faced financial strain due to serious health issues, including liver failure.
Before his health declined, Bill worked as an IT technician and manager at the University of Florida. He eventually moved to the area to be closer to family.
“I love it here. It’s beautiful,” he said.
How It All Started
Bill traces his kidney failure back to diabetes, a disease he says often damages kidneys quietly.
“I beat diabetes,” he said. “I had a health screening at work and was told, ‘Mr. Scott, your blood sugar is really high.’ When you’re diabetic, nobody tells you to look out for your kidneys. It’s until they’re destroyed. It was too late, and I didn’t have kidney function.”
The Burden of a Renal Diet
Beyond dialysis itself, Bill looks forward to escaping one of the most restrictive parts of kidney failure: the renal diet.
Dialysis patients must strictly limit foods high in potassium, phosphorus, and sodium. These are some of the nutrients their damaged kidneys can no longer process effectively. Common foods like potatoes, bananas, dairy products, nuts, and even certain beverages are often restricted or eliminated entirely.
Bill already knows what he wants to eat once he receives his transplant, potatoes.
More Than Physical Exhaustion
Bill wants people to understand that dialysis affects far more than what’s visible.
He wants people to recognize how hard and exhausting being on dialysis is. “It really changes your life,” he said.
“People have a tendency to not understand how tired you get. It’s hard to get out of bed some days. It’s not depression, it’s just that you’re tired.”
He says people often ask why he can’t do more.
“‘Why can’t you? Why don’t you want to go do this?’ Being on dialysis takes a lot out of your body. Even though you look normal, you’re not normal.”
The physical toll also affects personal relationships.
“How can you meet someone when you have a tube sticking out of your belly?” Bill asked, explaining the challenges of dating while on PD.
Holding Onto Hope
At home, Bill finds comfort in simple joys, like spending time with his 18-year-old cat, Nacho. Despite the exhaustion, restrictions, and long wait, he remains hopeful.
“I’m looking forward to not hooking up to my dialysis machine every single night,” he said. “It gets tedious.”
For Bill, a transplant means more than medical freedom. It means energy, connection, and the chance to live without dialysis defining every day.
Be The Gift
For those inspired by Bill Scott’s story, there are ways to help make a difference. Becoming a 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.