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Dialysis brings friends even closer
Photo
Steve Peterson (right) smiles as he poses with his wife Lucy Peterson and his bestfriend Kenny Yates on the back porch of his home May 16.
By EARTHA TERRELL
Imagine having a friend you could depend on who would drop anything to help you if you were in need. For the past 20 years, Boardman resident Steve Peterson has had that friend in Kenny Yates.
In 2011, Peterson began attending a dialysis center after his kidneys began to deteriorate due to anti-rejection medication.
“He didn’t look so good last year,” said Lucy Peterson, Steve Peterson’s wife.
When attending the dialysis centers began to take a toll on Peterson, Yates decided to lend a helping hand.
“I was frustrated when I had to go to the center,” Peterson said,
Yates attended training to learn how to use the NX Stage System One, which is a dialysis machine that allows patients the convenience of taking dialysis at home. Since December 2011, every morning, three times a week, Yates faithfully comes to assist his friend.
“I love coming over here. Me and Steve got this down,” Yates said.
Yates’ unselfish act has made life better for both Lucy and Steve Peterson. Without the help of Yates, Lucy, who works a full-time job as a beautician, said her husband would have had to wait until the evenings to use his machine when she got off work.
“I call him [Yates] my angel. We would have been using the machine late at night,” said Lucy.
Although Yates’ act has significantly improved the life of his friend, he still doesn’t see his act as much more than a humble gesture. Peterson begs to differ.
“I’m really lucky to have so much support,” he said.