Northwest Kidney Centers honors home dialysis patient, advocate Bill Peckham

Northwest Kidney Centers has named a conference room at one of its Seattle dialysis clinics after home dialyzor Bill Peckham to commemorate his 25-year dialysis anniversary. The Bill Peckham Home Dialysis Conference Room was paid for by donors, including Dialysis Clinic Inc., who also donated money to kidney research. NxStage is donating Peckham's well-traveled dialysis machine to Northwest Kidney Centers' dialysis museum.

Peckham began dialysis on Sept. 20, 1990 when his kidneys failed as a result of chronic kidney disease. Since then, he's become a nationally recognized dialysis advocate, blogger, dedicated volunteer leader with Northwest Kidney Centers, and a key force in establishing the Kidney Research Institute.

Peckham has volunteered as a trustee of Northwest Kidney Centers for 12 years, serving as board chair from 2007 to 2009 – while working full-time as a sign maker. He's traveled to 32 countries and performed hemodialysis treatments in diverse locations such as a raft on the banks of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, the Vatican, Russia, and South Africa.

"Bill is one of the most incredible people that I know," said Dr. Doug Johnson, vice chair of DCI, who also was on the Grand Canyon raft trip. "He also happens to need dialysis treatments. Bill inspires me to be a better person and a better leader. He reminds me that life should not be a float trip. In life, as in the river rapids, we need to create our own momentum, face our challenges and work together."

"Sustaining life by using dialysis is not easy," said Peckham. "But with the support of Northwest Kidney Centers I have lived a life much like the one I was meant to live but for kidney disease: a life of work, travel and volunteering. I'm looking forward to the next 25 years." -by Rebecca Zumoff