Your Stories

Christine Gleddle from Cossington had her own travel business when she started to cater for a rather specialist market.

Listen: Holiday with Dialysis

BBC Leicester's Jo Hollis went to speak with the specialist holiday booker.

She was inspired to start it by a friend working in  a hospital in Tenerife.

She says: "She couldn't understand why there were a lot of people needing kidney dialysis who came on holiday from Germany, Sweden, Belgium but very few from the UK.

"When I came back I decided to find out why kidney patients didn't travel from the UK [on holiday].

"I spoke to the British Kidney Patients Association and the National Kidney Federation. They told me there was a lack of facilities and information to enable people to travel.

She set up Freedom - The Dialysis Holiday Specialists which is an ABTA bonded independent travel agency that has specialised in organising dialysis holidays for over 17 years.

Dialysis is a mechanical process in which waste products and unwanted water are removed from the blood.

Normally, this function is performed by the kidneys. However, if your kidneys are not working properly because they have been damaged or have "failed" for some other reason, you may need dialysis.

Dialysis is a life saver but the process has to be done frequently and regularly. Hence the difficulty of taking holidays if you have to undergo dialysis.

Christine says her company arrange holidays in a wide variety of place:

"Literally all over the world. America, Australia, Egypt, throughout Europe."

 The company also arranges for dialysis to be available on some cruises.

A dialysis machine is provided.

Unique Needs

What facilities do the holiday-makers she deals with need?

She explains: "A lot of them don't need much more than you or I.

"But they do need to get their dialysis sorted out. This is generally three sessions a week."

Christine stresses every patient has unique needs and the company has to find suitable accommodation, organise help at airports, depending on the problems of the patient.

Sadly, and perhaps ironically, Christine developed a kidney problem some years after she had started the company.

She says: "I was organising these holidays for patients and then I didn't feel so well myself. After a number of tests it was discovered that my right kidney had decided to pack it in.

"I ended up losing that kidney. But my left kidney copes perfectly on its own.

"My daughter says: 'Don't worry. If you do need dialysis we can organise a holiday for you!'"