Normandy Park resident Ted Lomax is proof that life continues with kidney dialysis.

Lomax, 83, has been on dialysis for nearly a decade. He started dialysis three times a week at a Northwest Kidney Centers' clinic. For the past eight years, Lomax has been having dialysis at home with the help of his wife, Gloria, 79.

Dialysis is absolutely necessary in keeping a person with kidney failure alive. It removes impurities and waste from the blood when one's kidneys are unable to do so. Without dialysis or a kidney transplant, a person with kidney failure would not survive.

Most people dialyze in a center, but others prefer the flexibility of home dialysis, as treatments done at home can be longer and therefore more similar to the function of healthy kidneys.

Home dialysis gives patients more control over their lives, Gloria explained. "It's flexible. You can do it earlier, or later, to accommodate something else that's happening that day. It allows you to work your dialysis around your life."

Ted did not have any major symptoms before suffering from the kidney disease that required him to begin dialysis. The cause of his ailing kidneys is a mystery.

He has no known family members with the disease and always watched his diet, Gloria said.

He is among the one of the seven Americans who has kidney disease.

March 11 is recognized around the world as World Kidney Day. It's time for everyone - like Lomax - to consider getting tested for kidney disease.

Some 886,800 people in Washington state have chronic kidney disease, which often has no symptoms until very late.

"The incidence of kidney disease among American adults has increased 30 percent in the past 10 years," said Joyce Jackson, president and chief executive of Northwest Kidney Centers, the largest non-profit kidney dialysis organization serving King County. "Kidney disease is more than a personal health issue. It's a public health issue too. Thirty percent of the country's Medicare budget is spent treating kidney disease and 7 percent is spent on dialysis treatment. Significant portions of our public health care dollars are being spent on a disease that in many cases can be prevented."

Ted Lomax retired from Boeing in 1991 after 40 years as an aeronautical engineer. But retirement hardly slowed him down. He immediately began a second career doing the same type of work as a consultant for a Boeing contractor.

He also wrote an aeronautical engineering textbook that was published in 1996.

"He continued to go into work several times a week, all during the kidney dialysis" until the summer of 2008, Gloria said. Even after he stopped going to the office, he continued working from home for several years. "He really enjoys it," Gloria said, who recently spoke on behalf of her husband, who was recovering from gall bladder surgery.

Gloria trained with Northwest Kidney Centers for four weeks to learn how to operate the home dialysis machine for her husband. She admits the process was "very, very daunting" at first.

"We really needed that four weeks of training, and that first week, I was ready to quit," Gloria confessed. At the time, the equipment seemed too confusing to operate.

"I remember asking my trainer if anyone had caused the death of their partner," she said with a laugh. "They assured me, no, that had not happened."

By the end of training, Gloria grew more confident with the equipment. Having a home-training nurse who is always a phone call away helps, she said. "When you run into a problem, you call... I've called many, many times. They are just wonderful," she said.

Gloria also credits the couple's strong faith with dealing with the challenge of dialysis.

"Every time we do dialysis at home, we pray and we know that we are in the presence of God," she said. "I never put a needle in his arm without asking God to control my hand."

They also have a supportive family; Gloria is quick to praise granddaughter Erin Yoshida, 18, who stops off on her way home from school to help with hanging the bags needed for dialysis, which look similar to hanging IV bags.

Gloria and Ted have lived in their home for 54 years, have five grown children and six grandchildren, and are looking forward to celebrating their 57th wedding anniversary on March 15.

While dialysis was not a future they ever envisioned, they have learned that it does not mean you cease to do things that matter to you, Gloria said.

"Life does not stop with dialysis," she said. "Dialysis is not the focus or center of your life. It's what enables you to keep on living and doing the things you want to do."

Ways to prevent kidney disease:

• Treat high blood pressure and diabetes, two of leading causes of kidney failure.
• Don't smoke.
• Eat a low-salt, low-fat diet and control your weight.
• Exercise at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week.
• Don't overuse pain relievers such as ibuprofen and naproxen, which can damage kidneys.
• Your doctor can run three simple tests to assess your risk:
• Check your blood pressure
• Test for protein in the urine
• Test your blood for creatinine

Ask your doctor for these tests, especially if you are in a high-risk group, which includes African Americans, Hispanics, Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, people over age 60, and those with high blood pressure, diabetes or a family history of kidney disease.

Early detection and treatment can help prevent the progression of kidney disease to kidney failure, which requires dialysis or a transplant to sustain life.