Saturday, July 25, 2015

Charlie's story: life and death of the man forced to sleep rough while on dialysis

Frustrated with the life his illness had forced on him, he decided to visit family in Broome. Unfortunately, he never accessed dialysis at the town’s busy clinic

Kwementyaye Charlie, an Aboriginal man who Guardian Australia reported in February was forced to sleep rough while undergoing dialysis treatment in Alice Springs, has died in Broome.

Charlie was well-known, well-travelled and a talented artist. He was also a “cranky, charismatic and supersmart” man, who was frustrated with the life his illness had forced him into and often railed against the system that kept him alive but struggled to support him.

Related: Northern Territory moves to use $10m dialysis funding after years of delays

He was an extraordinary bloke. He was cranky and charismatic and supersmart. He knew what the deal was. He made choices.

Related: Dialysis patient forced to sleep rough in Alice Springs as funding cuts bite

The pull to continue to participate in family life often is a bigger pull than their physical health.

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