Chair Yoga and St Andrews Dialysis Unit Update

I remember the first trip to the new satellite dialysis unit at St Andrews Community Hospital and the delighted expression on my mum’s face at her new found freedom.

To this day, approaching the main entrance, I look up to the right to the place she would have been and in the end the place she finally went to sleep, with a feeling of peace in knowing how happy she was to be there.

At twenty two there wasn’t really anything I understood about what the next seventeen years would look like or how our family would change through the course of this illness but I was scared of losing my mum. She was the kind of person who made light work of life. The record player on, wearing a smile and her trademark neutral style it was hard to imagine that anything would stop her. The initial fear of impending catastrophe took a front seat for some time, as people tried to stabilise the situation and prepare us for numerous possibilities.

Learning to be a mum myself alongside the deteriorating health of my own came with many challenges but Barbara was determined to spend as much time as possible with her grandchildren and dedicated her efforts to staying well. Throughout these early dialysis years, with extended stays in hospital due to acute infections and failed fistulas, the staff of Tayside and Fife provided a level of care that I will be eternally grateful for between the Vic and Ninewells. It was time of intense discomfort and a great deal of happiness supported by the friendships formed in a new way of life.

Living in Kingsbarns, three days of treatment at a distance was extremely demanding on time and energy, so the opening of the unit in St Andrews represented a more relaxed routine where dialysis was part of life, rather than life being part of it.

Every single day there were stories, updates, plans, pranks, and amusing anecdotes from the ward. A nurse herself, she leaned into their compact community with all of her heart and made them her dialysis family. But what came back to her, to all of us from that unit was so supportive that we were never alone or frightened. Their impact on the outcomes I believe led to us having a mum and grandmum, sister and aunt for many years longer than anyone could have anticipated. One of the longest treated dialysis patients, Barbara survived extensive surgeries and complex cancer on top of her renal failure assisted by their ongoing care.

Dialysis was my mum’s life line and it afforded our family time together that we will cherish forever. The staff and supporting volunteers helped change the map of our lives for the better and we are richer for having known them all. I understand how deeply Barbara appreciated them and how much she would endorse a simple, encouraging approach to recognising these efforts.

If you would like to join us to move and relax, we look forward to welcoming you.

Chair Yoga

Enjoy a friendly, inclusive seated practice to promote health and vitality.

Build strength and ease with accessible approaches that welcome all bodies.

12 – 1pm

Thursdays

12 / 19 / 26 September

£10 pay on the day

Crail Kirk Hall

All proceeds after hall hire will be gifted to St Andrews Dialysis Unit for use towards ongoing care and comfort of patients and staff.

This class offers a cheerful chance to come together in the chair and enjoy gentle guided movement in a relaxed setting.

Suitable for a wide range of health conditions.

Please contact Laurie to discuss any questions.

Email laurie@curativate.co.uk / Phone 07776308994

Yoga Scotland 500 hour Teacher / MA Traditions Mediation & Yoga