A warming surprise for the staff at Diaverum Nacka
Posted March 22, 2018
Antje Behring-Fritz's husband Manfred has been going for dialysis for almost three years. She goes with him to his dialysis sessions, and often spends the time doing crosswords with Manfred, or knitting. At Christmas, she had the idea of using her interest in knitting for a very special secret project.
The Fritzs have been married for 57 years. Three years ago, life changed for the couple when Manfred started going for dialysis. Antje always goes with her husband for his dialysis sessions. She says it was hard to accept the new situation at first, and the couple had a lot of questions and concerns about what life is like when someone starts going for dialysis. Now they've got used to it and started to think positively about their new situation. Antje thinks one of the main reasons it's gone so well is the place they were allocated to. "It's perfect here. They're wonderful people. They do everything and take such good care of their patients," says Antje about the staff who look after Manfred.
During the dialysis sessions, the pair do crosswords together, and when Manfred is asleep Antje talks to the other patients or knits. Knitting and handicrafts have been a major interest of Antje's for many years. It's a calming and relaxing hobby, and it's satisfying to watch a garment take shape.
Going for dialysis means spending many hours a week at the clinic. The staff and fellow-patients often become a sort of second family for patients and their relatives. Antje says the idea of knitting socks for the staff came to her around Christmas. Knitting a pair of socks takes about three days. But because a dialysis session lasts four hours, there was plenty of time for knitting. She also made use of her evenings to finish the socks. By the middle of February all the socks were ready. None of the staff had any idea what was going on, and it was a big surprise when Antje brought the socks with her one Monday and gave them to the staff. Each pair had a little name tag on it. There were nine pairs of socks altogether. The gift was greatly appreciated during one of the coldest months of the year.
"It's really heart-warming to get this kind of recognition. It makes going to work feel that bit more worthwhile. We know that going for dialysis not only affects the patient's life. The relatives are greatly affected as well, and we're so pleased that Antje and Manfred feel at home with us," says Åsa Ek, deputy head of the clinic at Diaverum Nacka.
Category