Joe’s chronic illness came on suddenly and not only robbed him of his ability to work; it brought with it a variety of issues relating to housing, health and hardship. A chance meeting led him to Visionwest and the support he required.
It was during a chance meeting with someone who had once worked with Visionwest that Joe first heard about the services Visionwest offers.
I was living in my previous home and had told this lady about where things were at for me and she said, ‘If you don’t mind, I’ll put you in touch with Visionwest.’ I didn’t even know who Visionwest was at that time. I know now and they are really good.
Four years ago, Joe was diagnosed with kidney disease meaning he had to give up full-time work while he spent much of his time in hospital. Up until his illness, Joe had loved his work as a truck driver; his favourite pastimes were fishing and being with his family.
These were hard times for me. It was difficult, especially with the sudden change in my situation. I came from having a good lifestyle to hitting rock bottom because of my health. I’m on dialysis and that happened just like that. There were no warning signs. So, to come from what I had to where I suddenly was very hard.
Joe’s life, hospitals and dialysis
Joe’s life became one of frequent hospital visits where he was hooked up to a dialysis machine for hours at a time. While some patients are able to undergo their dialysis at home, this wasn’t possible for Joe because of the size of the machine and the need to have someone to oversee the procedure.
Having been put in touch with Visionwest, I received a visit from Jonas [Visionwest Community Housing Support Navigator]. He was wonderful and listened to my needs. To be honest, though, I had had so many promises from other groups. I thought, ‘Oh yeah, here we go.’ I thought I would hear promises, and nothing would happen but, at that time, I had nothing to lose so I went along with it.
Like many people who experience a sudden change to their life circumstances, Joe admits to struggling to adjust. The cost of rent and travel to and from hospital was financially crippling at a time when the cost-of-living was increasing rapidly. It made sense for Joe to work towards being accepted for home dialysis. With that in mind, Joe’s daughter Sarina undertook training to become a qualified nurse to operate the dialysis machine. She was able to move in with Joe and oversee his treatment.
Joe’s next challenge – housing
Joe’s next challenge was that, with the dialysis machine taking up a lot of living space, there was no room for family to visit – something that was very important for Joe. This is where Jonas and the Visionwest Community Housing Team stepped in. A suitable house with another housing organisation was found with Visionwest remaining the property managers to ensure Joe’s needs were met.
Visionwest really went out of their way to help me. I love the space in my new home for my dialysis machine and for visitors, but they did so much more than that. My money was pretty tight and so they helped me with food. Saving money on food meant I could pay for some of my other bills like power and rent.
I also had help with my budgeting from Jo [Visionwest Money Mentors Team Leader]. Before I got sick, I was earning good money and, if I wanted something, I could buy it. Jo helped me manage my money better and that’s made a big difference.
Joe talks about how thankful he is for help from Visionwest saying that he was helped from being at rock bottom to where he needed to be.
Without help from Visionwest I’d probably be still struggling. I’d be like a lot of people out there, struggling. That’s why I always talk to people, and I always promote Visionwest because of what you’ve done for me. I can’t imagine where I’d be without that help.
Joe’s future
Unless he’s able to have a kidney transplant, Joe will need regular dialysis for the rest of his life but he’s comfortable about that. He has a comfortable place to live, has the skills to to manage his budget, has occasional help with food, and has family around him.
As far as my working life is concerned, I think I’ve done my day. You know, I just want to enjoy my grandkids and my kids. That’s all for me now. I don’t dream of anything spectacular. I’m limited in what I want to do now. But I also know, with Visionwest’s help I can enjoy life and that’s great.
Read another inspirational story of a Visionwest Community Housing whānau.
Find out more about Visionwest Community Housing.
**We understand that it is a great privilege when someone generously agrees to share their story. This blog and other material are shared with Joe’s permission and we thank him for his generosity.