The MHA for Torngat Mountains is celebrating a milestone in providing dialysis treatment for people in isolated Labrador communities.

Lela Evans rose in the House of Assembly last week to say the first home dialysis treatment in Natuashish was completed on Tuesday by Bob Piwas, supported by his daughter.

Currently, dialysis treatment is only offered at three sites in Labrador-Grenfell Health – St. Anthony, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, and Labrador West. That means people in northern Labrador have to move to those centres for treatment because their home communities are not connected to the provincial highway system.

Evans calls offering home dialysis to Labrador residents “life changing.”

Evans says Labrador-Grenfell health has worked with indigenous partners and purchased equipment to pilot home dialysis in two communities, the next of which will be in Sheshatshiu. Following the pilot, home dialysis is expected to be offered across the region. Evans says it means a lot to people on the north coast.

Labrador Affairs Minister Highlights L’anse au Loup Couple Doing Home Dialysis Since 2019

Piwas is the latest resident to avail of home dialysis in Labrador, but he is not the first.

Labrador Affairs Minister Lisa Dempster highlights a couple from her district of Cartwright – L’Anse au Clair who have been doing home dialysis Since 2019.

She says in the spring of that year Deb Barney received training so she could carry out dialysis treatment for her husband Cal, who is described as being “very sick at the time.”

Dempster says every second day people who stop by Barney’s home in L’anse au Loup will find him receiving treatment.