Al's Story:

One-of-a-Kind Patient-Focused Dialysis Center Is Lasting Legacy of Former Dialysis Patient's Vision

 

“You never truly know someone until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes.”

 

Gulf Shores, AL - Patient First Dialysis is founded on the principle that the patients, their families, and their caregivers should be the dialysis center's number one priority.  And thanks to the special insights of our founder, Albert "Al" King, Jr., this independent, locally owned center has unique insight as to what patients want and need.  Who better to speak for patients' needs than a former dialysis patient who knew firsthand the challenges faced by patients and the family members and friends who assist them in their treatment?

 

Al's roots in the "L.A. Community" (Lower Alabama) ran deep; he was born and raised right here, the sixth generation of his family to call Gulf Shores and South Baldwin County "home."  So when his personal journey led him to start a dialysis center deeply committed to patient-centered care, this coastal community was the obvious location.

 

His story began like many - unfortunately, kidney disease is a growing health issue.  When Al's high blood pressure and diabetes led to chronic renal disease, he learned he needed dialysis.  "I'll never forget that day - February 17, 2002," he said as he recalled his first dialysis session, "I remember staring at that machine and feeling pretty lucky that someone out there was smart enough to build a contraption that could keep me alive."  In the nearly four years that followed, Al learned a lot about dialysis from the patient's perspective.  "Three times a week, five-and-a-half-hour runs; there was a lot of time to think and a lot of time to listen while I sat in that chair.  I talked with other patients and the friends and family members that accompanied them, and I thought about how their concerns were similar to mine.  I guess you could say that, over time, I came to think of my fellow patients as my extended family.  After all, I spent nearly as much time with them as I did with my wife and kids."

 

Like most dialysis patients, Al found that his dialysis schedule affected his family as much as himself.  Al's immediate family included his wife Becky, their two sons, David and Kevin, and a daughter, Amanda.  "The dialysis patient's family is on the same short string as the patient," Al said about the impact of treatment on his family. "Simple things like going out to dinner, or going to the kids' baseball or volleyball games on treatment days took effort and extra planning on the part of my family.  We also stopped taking vacations because I didn't want my family burdened with worry about my treatment.  Was there a dialysis center nearby?  Was there a place to wait for a ride after treatment?  Would they feel comfortable leaving me at the center alone?  I certainly didn't want them to feel obligated to sit with me while I had treatment."  Al realized that his fellow patients and their families were living with the same concerns.

 

Al quickly learned during his four year stint as a dialysis patient that there was a disconnect between ownership/management and patient desires. He observed that non-medical decisions made by management often times ignored or even ran counter to the patients' wishes.  "Even under the best conditions, dialysis is challenging," Al said, "Having a positive attitude toward treatment is awfully important.  But it's very hard to keep a positive attitude when you feel that changes are forced on you without a reason or an explanation," Al explained, "If the center decides to put the patients in stiff, uncomfortable chairs, or if they decide that patients can't sip a cup of juice during treatment, that's certainly their right; I just believe that the patient's input should be respected and valued, not ignored."

 

Al's final dialysis session was on December 18, 2006.  The following day he received a kidney transplant.  In a testament to their nearly 30 years of marriage, Al's wife Becky donated one of her kidneys to him. "We matched perfectly," Al said.  And after four years of intense campaigning to be considered for a transplant, Al "felt like I'd been paroled."  "Thanks to the Good Lord, my wife, and some fabulous doctors, I felt like the luckiest man on earth."

With the successful transplant behind him, Al turned his attention to the future. "Once you've been a dialysis patient, you're always going to be one to some degree," he said, explaining how his past impacted his future plans, "I was consumed with the notion that combining first class medical care with old-fashioned respect and common courtesy for the patient should not be that difficult to achieve."  The seeds of Patient First Dialysis had been sewn.  Al knew that for his vision to become a reality, it would require a close knit group of owners who were willing to invest money in a venture that did not necessarily make decisions based solely on bottom line profits.  "I knew I was going to do things for the patients and staff that might not make much sense financially, so I needed investors that understood why," Al said.  One person with that understanding was Al's brother, Harold, who had spent nearly a month with Al while he recovered from his transplant surgery and had tried (unsuccessfully) to be Al's kidney donor.  "Harold and I decided to pool our resources, sell some assets, and use our own money to either sink or swim," Al said, "That way, we would be answerable only to each other, instead of an investment group or a board of directors."

 

Al's next step was to find experienced health care professionals who shared his philosophy and wanted to be a part of something unique.  "We were able to recruit what I consider a 'dream team' of medical pros who have over fifty years of experience in dialysis centers," Al explained, "We all believe that our success depends on providing the best dialysis treatment available with a healthy dose of humanity and respect for the patient."

 

Al was personally involved in many aspects of the center to ensure that the patient-friendly environment met with his personal approval.  From the specially selected patient recliners to the availability of healthy snacks and the VIP (Very Important Patient) Lounge, Al's unique patient perspective is evident.  He used his experiences as a dialysis patient in his role as the center's first Patient Liaison, letting the patients and their families know they had someone in their corner, someone acting on the principle that "what they say and think really does matter."  Al advocated for such treatment policies as establishing Patient First Dialysis as a "non-reuse facility," which means that dialyzers are not cleaned and used again by another patient, but, rather, a new dialyzer is used for each patient.

 

Al could have taken his new kidney, said good-bye to dialysis and no one would have blamed him in the least.  But instead he used his new beginning as an opportunity to do something no other former dialysis patient had ever done: he undertook the monumental task of starting his own dialysis center. And why did he do that?  The answer, according to Al, was simple:  "If someone you cared deeply about, someone you loved like a brother or a sister, was on a sinking boat and you were able to get out safely, would you go back to pull them out?  All dialysis patients and their families are in the same boat - and I knew I had to at least make an effort to make things better for them.  The Good Lord blessed me with a second chance; I don't suppose He would appreciate it if I didn't make that effort."

 

Sadly, Al unexpectedly passed away shortly after the center began caring for its first patients. However, Patient First Dialysis Center is a lasting tribute to Al and his dream of offering a patient-centered approach to dialysis treatment. The King family and the Patient First team of healthcare professionals remain committed to Al's vision of putting the patient's needs first and foremost every day, in a locally-owned dialysis center where the patient truly does come first, according to Harold King, Al's brother and co-founder of Patient First Dialysis Center.

 

"Establishing this dialysis center was Al's dream. It was his passion and he lived to see his dream come true," Harold said, adding that the family-owned facility will continue to be committed to Al's vision. "Al's dream will continue to be realized every day in the personal services we provide here at Patient First Dialysis Center. We will continue to offer the finest dialysis treatment in an environment in which the patient truly does come first."