A HUDDERSFIELD man suffering from kidney failure has invented a portable lifeline for people with the same condition.
John McCarthy invented a portable dialysis device as a solution to his own problems and hopes it will give more kidney patients greater independence.
The 26-year-old from Bradley came up with the idea for the handy dialysis system warmer, called Renal Freedom, after being diagnosed with kidney problems.
He said: “I was diagnosed with kidney failure nearly three years ago after time spent travelling in the US.
“I came back to the UK and all of a sudden I was hit with renal failure.
“My independence was taken away and a solution became quite a personal crusade.”
Mr McCarthy found his life was quickly governed by treatment, hospital visits or time-consuming home dialysis, creating havoc with his lifestyle.
The dialysis system he was given to use every five hours was restrictive and needed to be plugged in and heated up; not easy for a young, independent man.
So he set about creating the answer to his problems, a portable system in a bag which he says will allow kidney patients to lead full lives.
He said: “The bags remove the anxiety and self-consciousness that dialysis patients experience and will give them confidence to forget their dialysis and go about their normal lives. I think it’s a major breakthrough.”
The invention has a built-in temperature-controlled device which can keep the dialysis fluid warm for up to four hours, giving renal patients the freedom they often need.
It could provide a lifeline for up to 10,000 people with kidney disease.
Mr McCarthy will officially launch his creation at the National Kidney Conference in Blackpool this month.
