A 28-year-old man from Souris, P.E.I. said his life will change dramatically if the province takes the dialysis treatment centre out of his community.

Nathan Bushey has final stage kidney disease. He's been on dialysis for almost a year. Three times a week he goes to the nearby treatment centre for his five hour sessions.

He said dialysis is exhausting.

"Normally I'm a very happy-going, fun loving guy. You're just, you're exhausted like you worked all day long," he said.

'It's going to devastate the lives of Islanders'—Nathan Bushey, dialysis patient

Last month, the provincial government announced plans to close the Alberton and Souris dialysis centres. Last week, Premier Robert Ghiz agreed to delay the move to allow time to consult with the communities.

Bushey said he will now use the time to make sure the two clinics never close. He said he was in disbelief when a nurse called him to tell him the province's plan.

"The next day, I woke up on fire," he said.

Bushey timed the drive from the doorstep of the Charlottetown site to his home. He said it took 77 minutes in perfect weather, and he wonders how much longer it would take in a storm.

"Driving afterwards is not a great idea. I've had a situation where I came off dialysis, and hours later I was at a friend's and I blacked out and had to be taken to hospital by ambulance. I couldn't imagine if I was driving."

He worries that the loss of the Souris clinic will mean he'll have to move to Charlottetown. He said he's not the only one who will be affected. Bushey is one of 11 dialysis patients in Souris. Another eight use the dialysis unit in Alberton.

"I think my feelings have been fairly out there as far as people know that I'm very much against the idea," he said. "It's going to devastate the lives of Islanders. It's going to increase costs to the health care system. We had no consultation. We were given no rationalization or explanation."

Hundreds of people in Souris and Alberton attended public meetings May 4 to protest the amalgamation of services. The head of the Atlantic Canada branch of the Kidney Foundation of Canada said it would be a step back.

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