SlymsHealer. Survivor. Artist.Slyms’ kidneys were rapidly failing when she and hersix-year-old son moved to Nashville.However, a requirement for at-home dialysis is—a home.She was recently divorced and couldn’t survive withoutdialysis or a transplant. Treatment at Vanderbilt meantthe difference between life and death.During her evaluation, a case worker at Vanderbiltreferred her to Catholic Charities and The FamilyCollective, which helps those at-risk for homelessnessfind and secure stable housing. Many families justlike Slyms’ don’t always have a large sum of moneysuch as first and last month’s rent saved in orderto sign a lease. The Family Collective worked withcity landlords to determine who accepted housingvouchers and helped provide rent assistance whileSlyms transitioned to her own home.For years, Slyms has been on hemodialysis, a processin which a machine and artificial kidney clean herblood and filter waste, requiring her to drive to a facility25 minutes away, three days a week.“I have to be there for four hours on a machine, whichtakes about six and a half to seven hours of my day,”she says.Before her treatment, Slyms’ doctor created an accesspoint to her blood vessels through an entrance on herleft arm.“It’s very painful at times and I don’t feel well. I getthese horrible headaches and my body just isn’tdoing well with it. After the dialysis, I’m kind of beatand completely drained. I don’t have the energy foranything else, and the next day I’m still recovering fromthe treatment and it just starts all over again.”She’s not able to work because dialysis and recoverytake up most of her time, which makes working andproviding for her son and two daughters impossible.“It’s like a part-time job just to stay alive.”Slyms went to the Vanderbilt Transplant Program foran evaluation in hopes of getting a transplant. Theyrecommended she transfer to a different type ofdialysis, peritoneal dialysis, which can be done at homewhile she sleeps. According to the National KidneyFoundation, this type of dialysis allows you to controlextra fluid more easily, which may reduce stress on theheart and blood vessels. She’ll be able to eat more, usefewer medications and do more of her daily activities,making it easier to work or travel.“It’s definitely a juggle. Sometimes the balls fall down—which they did, and that’s where [The Family Collective]came in and helped me get the balls juggling again.They have been very supportive in a time where I reallyneeded that support, you know. And it just remindedme that there are really good people in this world thatreally do care about people.”For Slyms, securing her own home means more thana roof over her head. It means not being hooked upto machines in a facility three days a week. It meansregaining her health and being able to pick her son upfrom school. It means getting back to the career thatshe loves.“Having my children and health issues and having dealtwith a recent divorce, it’s definitely taken a toll—butit’s taught me some very valuable lessons that I wouldnot have learned otherwise. I feel like I have the tools Ineed now to help others.”Slyms is a healing artist by trade. She’s a certifiedReiki practitioner, medicinal aromatherapist and avocal artist.“These things have definitely helped me on my journeywith my chronic health issues, so that’s what I hopeto get back to: helping people heal in a beautiful,artistic way.”The Family Collective
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