Six months after the opening of Tātari Toto Wairau Community Haemodialysis Unit, we caught up with Denis Gapper, a much-loved pāpā, koro and uncle, to see how life had changed.
The new unit has meant the end of constant travel to Nelson from his home in Blenheim, and, for Denis, it’s given him a new lease on life.
“When I got the news that Wairau was going to open the unit, I was on the verge of telling my wife, ‘righto, sell up, let’s move’. [It used to take] 10 hours, three days a week, from the time I left here to the time I got back.
“I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it here, the treatment won’t kill me, but the travel will.”
Uncle Denis says having the unit at Wairau has taken a load off him and his whānau. When we visited, he looked 10 years younger.
“It means I’ve got more freedom to go and do what I want to do. This afternoon, we’re probably going down to Picton for a ride; we either go to Picton or to Ward beach and sit there and listen to the waves crashing.
“The staff are excellent … I drive myself up there and I drive myself home – what else could I want?”
The four-chair unit is a true example of kotahitanga; it was led by Marlborough Primary Health, supported by Health New Zealand, iwi, Te Kāhui Hauora IMPB, and Te Piki Oranga. The facility also highlights the generosity of the Marlborough community. A number of local charities and philanthropic trusts have stepped up to fund dialysis chairs, TVs, resuscitation kits, heat pumps, and other vital equipment. Contributors include the Care Foundation, Marlborough Hospital Equipment Trust, Rātā Foundation, Churchill Trust, the Lotteries Community Grants, and Marlborough District Council.