A Guinness world record for dialysis, for a Laval

Photo Chantal Poirier
Jean-Pierre Gravel discusses with Dr. Murray Vasilevsky to the Montreal general Hospital for his dialysis treatment. Her blood is cleaned by device three times per week for 48 years, never seen that before. He started at the age of 11 years.

Hugo Duchaine

Wednesday, 28 February 2018 01:00

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Wednesday, 28 February 2018 01:00

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A Laval receives over 48 years of dialysis treatments three times per week, leaving doctors speechless by its resilience. His name will be soon even registered in the Guinness book of world records.

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“What are [the doctors] who get excited with it […] me, it’s part of my routine,” says humbly Jean-Pierre Gravel, lying on a bed at the Montreal general Hospital, while an artificial kidney machine cleans his blood. The Journal has met the man of 59 years, Monday, during one of his treatments.

Mr. Gravel was born with a malformation to the kidneys. The one on the left has never worked, and the one on the right has stopped at 11 years old. Since then, he receives each week three treatments of dialysis, a never-before-seen by the doctors.

“A hero “

“He is a hero and a champion,” does not hesitate to qualify his nephrologist, Dr. Murray Vasilevsky. Not only for its longevity and perseverance, but also, because he has never let the disease stop him.

Initially, he received in the evening, at the house, his treatment, which lasted six hours. His mother was trained to operate the huge artificial kidney of the time, which would occupy a whole room of the family residence.

“At times, I found it long,” admits Gravel about his treatments when he was a teenager.

Athlete in spite of everything

In spite of everything, he sued the school, up to do a program in architectural technology at cégep. It was the bike, even play hockey with his brother in the street and learned how to drive.

“I have often had sticks in the wheels, people used to say “thou shalt not be able” “, recognizes Jean-Pierre Gravel, but he knew how to make them lie.

He has worked for three years as a technician in an office of architects, and then 25 years at the Commission scolaire de Laval.

Today, its treatments, which last twice as long, take place at the hospital where all the staff knows it. The nurses come to turn to tease him and he also serves as sponsor for the nervous patients who are beginning dialysis. It makes them laugh, ” he says.

The case of Mr. Gravel is especially unique because it has never had kidney transplants. Because of his deformity, he would have needed more than one operation and the chances of success were much lower. Therefore, he always refused.

His health is no longer what it was, he acknowledges. In the long run, the treatments have worn down his body, he moves about with a walker and it takes hardly a pencil for example. But it is still able to play video games, her favorite pastime.

These are the doctors that have transmitted the record to the Guinness book of records, which were then investigated him. His record should be released in June.

Dr. Vasilievsky notes that many doctors internationally have been surprised to learn that a patient had been able to live as long as Mr. Gravel with dialysis treatments. But for him, that is mostly exceptional, and it is the desire to live of the patient.