The Big Red Kidney Bus is back in Torquay to provide a free lifesaving service for people near and far in a beautiful environment.
The bus will be stationed at Torquay Foreshore Caravan Park until August 23 to provide free dialysis treatments, which replace natural kidney functions by cleaning the blood and removing toxins.
Lisa Buckland travelled from the north-west of Melbourne to Torquay to use the bus on July 29 and 31, with four more appointments booked during August.
Ms Buckland said she had previously used the bus in Torquay and Phillip Island last year, and that it gave her the chance to have a holiday.
“I have chronic kidney disease, and it’s called end stage that I’ve got where kidneys are really failing and your only option is dialysis to stay alive,” she said.
“There is really no way of getting a break from dialysis, you’re committed to three days a week, so it’s nice to have a coastal holiday.
“It’s really helped me and it’s a great service… that made me realise that I could have a holiday and keep my mental health in a good state.”
Kidney Health Australia chief executive Chris Forbes said 2.5 million adult Australians who have kidney disease remain undiagnosed and that he was delighted to see the bus’s return.
“We hope that having the bright red bus in Torquay will bring much needed awareness to locals about kidney health,” he said.
“Our bus is much loved by our kidney community as it gives them the freedom to move beyond their treating clinic and visit other parts of Australia, a freedom so many of us take for granted.”
