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Sprucing Things Up
Patient Advocate. Newsletter Editor. Gardener. Librarian. Activities Director. These are just a few of the hats worn by Maurene Hufford, 70, at the Marble Falls, Texas, facility. She’s such an energetic force for so many different causes, it’s easy to forget that she’s also a patient.
Maurene suffers from polycystic kidney disease and has been on either peritoneal or hemodialysis for 13 years. She and her husband have traveled all over the world, even living for a time in the Middle East. She’s used to a busy lifestyle and was determined not to let kidney disease slow her down. "I’ve got too much to do to gripe," she says. "Plus, your state of mind is an important part of your health."
"She is a true inspiration," says Darlene Criswell, the facility manager at Marble Falls. "She volunteers for any new project at the facility and for community renal events."
Giving Patients a Voice
Serving as a patient advocate is one of Maurene’s biggest volunteer commitments. As a patient advocate, she represents the patients on "Kidney Failure Awareness Day" at the Texas Capitol. She also writes letters and makes phone calls to lawmakers when they are voting on issues important to kidney disease patients.
Back in Marble Falls, Maurene writes and edits the facility’s quarterly patient newsletter. It features helpful exercise and diet tips, as well as profiles of staff members and patients. "We like to highlight people who have done something special," she says.
Boosting Emotional Health
As for her "real" job, Maurene and her husband Ray own a gardening center in Spicewood that specializes in plants native to Texas. She uses that expertise in a volunteer job as the unit gardener, tending the facility’s flowers and plants. "I’m a pretty good gardener, so patients are always asking me, ‘What is this flower?’ or ‘How do you make this plant live?’"
A retired teacher, Maurene loves to decorate the patient information bulletin board each month where she adds seasonal decorations to make the facility more festive. Maurene has also organized a leisure library to give patients plenty to read during their treatments.
"I do these things because I want to do them," she says. "I consider it my duty."
Her contributions make a real difference. "She boosts the emotional health of our patients," Darlene says. "She is a true asset and is appreciated by everyone at our facility, patients and staff alike."
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