Giving a Farmer the Strength to Fulfill his Dreams
The moment I started working on the farm again was incredibly emotional. It meant the world to me to have enough strength to do what I felt I was put on this earth to do – tend to my cherished land and support my family.
Li Mingda, PD Patient
As a farmer in Fenghua, China, Li Mingda has always led a physically active life. He is passionate about the land he tends to and his family, which includes his wife and two daughters who rely on the fruit of their harvest to support the family financially.
Li’s world was turned upside down when he was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), or permanent kidney failure. Because his kidneys were not functioning properly, Li felt weak. The disease kept him from having the strength to work on his farm. Not only did he feel limited physically, but he also was filled with worry about the financial burden his disease would have on his family.
When his doctors suggested he start using peritoneal dialysis (PD) therapy, which works by cleaning the blood of toxins using the body's peritoneal membrane as the filter, Li decided to give it a try. Thanks to Baxter’s PD therapy systems, Li slowly started to regain his strength. While Li had resigned himself to never being able to farm again, he felt like himself again and returned to working on his farm. Li will never forget how he felt the day he returned to his farm.
What’s more, Li was awarded with a gift from the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation, which Baxter supports through a program called “Dream Fulfillment.” The program aims to fulfill the dreams of patients to give them support to return to their normal lives despite their chronic conditions.
Li had always dreamed of farming a tangerine plantation. With the help of the foundation, he was able to realize that dream and plant 250 tangerine trees.
The fruit of Li’s harvest is now more plentiful than ever, and he feels a renewed hope for life.
“I am fulfilling my dreams every day,” he said. “I’ve even had the chance to travel with my family to places I have always wanted to visit, including the Great Wall of China. Every day, I am thankful for the strength PD therapy has given me – both physically and emotionally.”
