Skip to main content
  1. Physicians
  2. Careers
  3. Resource Center
  4. About Us
  5. Contact Us
Thrive On
Fresenius Kidney Care
  • PatientHub
  • Kidney Care
    Community

Find a Dialysis Center

Find a Dialysis Center

Find a Dialysis Center
Permission to detect location was denied Current location could not be determined
    Try a detailed search

    Need help? Call 1-888-373-1470

    1. About Kidney Disease
      1. OVERVIEW
      2. Understanding Chronic Kidney Disease
      3. Kidney Disease Stages
      4. What Is a Nephrologist?
      5. What to Expect with CKD
      6. Kidney Disease Management
      7. Managing Medications
      8. Understanding Acute Kidney Injury
      9. How Kidneys Work
      10. Take a FREE CLASS on Kidney Disease
    2. Treatments
      1. OVERVIEW
      2. Dialysis Basics
      3. Dialysis Medications
      4. Benefits of Home Dialysis
      5. Home Peritoneal Dialysis
      6. Home Hemodialysis
      7. Sign up to Talk to a Home Dialysis Expert
      8. In-Center Hemodialysis
      9. Transplant
      10. Insurance & Managing Costs
      11. Choosing Not to Treat
    3. Life On Dialysis
      1. OVERVIEW
      2. Your Emotional Health While on Dialysis
      3. Staying Engaged
      4. Staying Healthy
      5. Dialysis Travel Services and Information
      6. Tips for Loved Ones
      7. PatientHub
    4. Recipes & Nutrition
      1. OVERVIEW
      2. Recipes
      3. Managing Your Diet
      4. Fluid Management on Dialysis
      5. Dialysis Diet Planning
      6. Cookbooks
    5. Thrive Central
      1. CKD
      2. Dialysis
      3. Diet & Nutrition
      4. Stories
      5. Wellness
      6. See All
    KIDNEY CARE COMMUNITY
    PATIENTHUB
    HOME
    1. I Have Kidney Disease
    2. I’m Preparing For Dialysis
    3. I’m on Dialysis
    1. Take a FREE CLASS on Kidney Disease
    2. Resource Center
    3. Recipes
    4. Request Patient Travel Services Information
    5. Sign Up for Our Newsletter

    Find a Dialysis Center

    Find a Dialysis Center

    Find a Dialysis Center
    Permission to detect location was denied Current location could not be determined
      Try a detailed search

      Need help? Call 1-888-373-1470

      1. About Us
      2. Contact Us
      3. FAQ
      4. Glossary
      5. Media
      6. Careers
      7. Physicians

      Need help? Call
      1-888-373-1470

      • facebook
      • twitter
      • youtube
      1. About Kidney Disease
        1. Understanding Chronic Kidney Disease
          1. Symptoms
          2. Risk Factors
          3. Causes
          4. Diagnosis and Testing
          5. GFR Calculator
        2. Kidney Disease Stages
          1. Stage 1
          2. Stage 2
          3. Stage 3
          4. Stage 4
          5. Stage 5
        3. What Is a Nephrologist?
        4. What to Expect with CKD
        5. Kidney Disease Management
          1. Kidney Diet Basics
          2. Your Kidney Care Team
          3. Diabetes
          4. High Blood Pressure
        6. Managing Medications
        7. Understanding Acute Kidney Injury
          1. Acute Kidney Injury Treatment and Recovery
        8. How Kidneys Work
        9. Take a FREE CLASS on Kidney Disease
      2. Treatments
        1. Dialysis Basics
          1. How Does a Hemodialysis Machine Work
          2. Starting Dialysis
          3. Types of Dialysis Access
          4. Your Care Plan
          5. Monitoring Your Lab Results
        2. Dialysis Medications
          1. Phosphate Binders
        3. Benefits of Home Dialysis
        4. Home Peritoneal Dialysis
          1. What to Expect
          2. Getting Prepared
          3. PD Access
          4. PD Training
          5. PD Monitoring
          6. Your Care Team
        5. Home Hemodialysis
          1. What to Expect
          2. Getting Prepared
          3. HD Training
          4. HD Monitoring
          5. Your Care Team
        6. Sign up to Talk to a Home Dialysis Expert
        7. In-Center Hemodialysis
          1. In-Center Treatment Options
          2. What to Expect
          3. Types of Vascular Access for Hemodialysis
          4. Your Care Team
          5. How to Choose a Center
        8. Transplant
          1. Finding a Kidney Donor
          2. Considering Kidney Donation
        9. Insurance & Managing Costs
          1. Understanding Medicare Coverage
          2. Understanding Medicare Advantage
          3. Understanding Employer Plans
        10. Choosing Not to Treat
      3. Life On Dialysis
        1. Your Emotional Health While on Dialysis
          1. Managing Your Emotions
          2. Talking About Dialysis
          3. Intimacy
          4. Body Image and Dialysis
          5. Building Your Dialysis Support Network
        2. Staying Engaged
          1. Tips for Working While on Dialysis
          2. In-Center Activities
          3. Hobbies
        3. Staying Healthy
          1. Managing Your Time on Dialysis
          2. Dialysis & Exercise
          3. Weight Management
          4. Avoiding Infection
          5. Managing Multiple Conditions
          6. Fighting the Flu
        4. Dialysis Travel Services and Information
        5. Tips for Loved Ones
          1. In-Center Hemodialysis
          2. At-Home Hemodialysis
          3. At-Home Peritoneal Dialysis
        6. PatientHub
      4. Recipes & Nutrition
        1. Recipes
        2. Managing Your Diet
          1. Eating Well on a CKD Diet
          2. Eating Well on a Dialysis Diet
          3. Salt and Kidney Disease
          4. Potassium and Kidney Disease
          5. Phosphorus and Kidney Disease
          6. Talking With Your Dietitian
        3. Fluid Management on Dialysis
        4. Dialysis Diet Planning
          1. Kidney-Friendly Shopping
          2. Eating Out
          3. Kidney-Friendly Holiday Recipes
        5. Cookbooks
      5. Thrive Central
        1. CKD
        2. Dialysis
        3. Diet & Nutrition
        4. Stories
        5. Wellness
        6. See All
      1. Home
      2. Thrive Central
      3. Stories
      4. Digging Deep for a Better Life
      Share:

      Digging Deep for a Better Life

      Ken-McGee-Photo_edited_2-cropped
      At 60 years old Ken McGee had some new goals for himself. Expanding the size of his garden, continuing to shrink his waistline, and, hopefully, receiving a new kidney.

      Not so many years ago, Ken weighed more than 350 pounds and his diet was, at least partially, to blame. He knew he had kidney disease but a steady intake of meats and carbohydrates wasn’t making things any easier on his condition.

      “My doctors told me ‘It’s not if you lose your kidney, it’s when,’” Ken recalls.

      A Season of Change

      “When” came in 2014. A union pipe fitter and welder, Ken started feeling sick and had to leave a successful job, and a career 38 years in the making, so he could start dialysis. He spent a few months receiving in-center treatments at Fresenius Kidney Care in Donaldsville, Louisiana, and then—with help from his care team—began to make some changes. The first was a conscious effort to lose weight. The second was to start training for home dialysis therapy.

      Ken decided on home hemodialysis (HHD) because it was more agreeable with his schedule, and he had an attentive care partner in his wife, Susan.

      “I trained with my wife for about six weeks, and have been doing home ever since,” he says. “She does my sticks and has been a big help. She’s always been by my side taking care of me.”

      After moving to home therapy, Ken felt well enough to return to his job, but a year of juggling 10 hour shifts and dialysis treatments proved to be too much. He went on disability and set to work improving his health. He also started working something else—the soil.

      Fresh Food, Fresh Start

      “I always liked gardening; we had citrus trees, a fig tree, and a grape vine in the yard,” explains Ken. “But once I went on disability, I figured I could do better. I told my wife ’l’ve got to do something.”

      So, he went big. After watching YouTube videos, Ken set up six large containers and began cultivating herbs, tomatoes, and squash. Then he decided to have spring and fall gardens and added collard greens, tomatoes, lettuce, and green onions. Olive and avocado trees came next.

      Within a year Ken doubled the size of his garden, and as the landscape changed, so did his diet. He began eating more fresh food and making kidney-healthy dishes using the harvest from his back yard.

      “Instead of making a hamburger or going out to eat I’ll eat a cucumber with salt and pepper or a tomato for lunch,” he says.

      Delicacies from the McGee kitchen include tomato soup with fresh herbs, a homemade Cajun spice mix, as well as jams and jellies. Ken shared his bounty with local food banks, his nurse, and his dietician, who were impressed by his creations. But what really made them happy was seeing his health and lifestyle improvements.

      A New Goal, A Second Chance

      “I had to be below 275 pounds to be considered for the transplant list,” Ken told us. “I started at 375 dropped down to 260. I felt so much better.”

      Beyond feeling good and doing good things, Ken’s ultimate objective was a kidney transplant. With his weight below the threshold, the next hurdle was finding a matching donor. Fortunately, it didn’t take long, because there was a willing, able, and excellent candidate in his own family.

      In September 2019, Ken’s sister gave him the ultimate gift—a new kidney. Ken says she gave him “a second chance at life.”

      SHARE YOUR THRIVE ON STORY

      We want to hear from you if you’re living with kidney disease and thriving—or if you’re caring for someone who is. Your experience can help inspire and empower others.

      SHARE YOUR STORY

      See more stories


      Chris Greene's dialysis story

      Meet Chris

      Can people on dialysis travel? Avid hiker and camper Chris Greene's story leaves you with a resounding yes. While Chris’ diagnosis came out...

      Watch Now
      Natalie Gwin Jones

      Pursuing Passions While on Home Hemodialysis

      Natalie Gwin Jones loves to craft. She spends her free time sewing, making jewelry, and selling her crafts on line. With home dialysis...

      Read more
      EatDrink_ICON1

      What to Eat and Drink on Peritoneal Dialysis

      Choosing home peritoneal dialysis (PD) for treatment at stage 5 chronic kidney disease (CKD) can give you greater flexibility lifestyle in...

      Read More
      Back to Top
      1. About Us
      1. FAQ
      2. Resource Center
      3. Contact Us
      4. Glossary
      5. Media
      6. Careers
      1. Privacy Statement
      2. Terms of Use
      3. Site Map
      4. HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices
      5. FreseniusKidneyCare.com Web Accessibility Statement
      6. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Data
      7. Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information
      • facebook
      • youtube
      • twitter
      • pinterest
      © 2016-2023 Fresenius Medical Care. All Rights Reserved.