Snapshots from a mother and daughter's journey beyond dialysis
Twice a year, Natalia Grabowska and her mother set off on a 3,300-kilometre road trip between Poland and Spain. The photographs shared here capture some of the moments they have experienced along the way, from shared meals and new discoveries to the conversations that make long journeys memorable.
For Natalia, these trips are about far more than reaching a destination. They are an opportunity to spend meaningful time with her mother, continue a lifelong love of travel and create new memories together. While dialysis remains part of the journey, it does not define it.
Supported by Diaverum's d.HOLIDAY programme, treatment can be planned alongside travel, making it easier for patients and their families to continue exploring with confidence. Through these snapshots, a story emerges of care, resilience and connection - and of a daughter helping ensure that life continues to be lived to the fullest, one journey at a time.
The photographs capture moments of freedom, discovery and connection, but they also tell a deeper story about travelling with dialysis. Treatment remains part of every journey. Days still need to be planned around appointments, and clinic visits are an essential stop along the way.
Yet what emerges from Natalia's experience is not a story about limitations. Instead, it is a story about finding ways to build life around treatment rather than putting life on hold because of it. Clinic visits sit alongside walks through new cities, meals shared on the road and the conversations that come with spending hours together in the car. Dialysis has not disappeared, but it no longer defines the experience.
At the centre of it all is the relationship between a daughter and her mother. Travelling together requires preparation and coordination, but it also creates something invaluable: the opportunity to continue making memories and sharing experiences that matter.
“My mum lives in Spain half of the year, so twice a year we take a 3,300-kilometer road trip by car. Driving through Poland, Germany, France and Spain is quite a challenge. But we love our road trips! They give us plenty of time to talk, laugh, and catch up. Along the way, we stop at interesting places and eat delicious food—something we love most! If it weren't for our travels, I would never have visited towns like Mulhouse in France (where my mum had dialysis) or the Spanish town of Figueres (where Salvador Dali was born) .”
Of course, travelling with dialysis is never without challenges. Planning ahead is essential. Finding the right clinic, organising treatment schedules and ensuring continuity of care all play a crucial role. For families, this often means taking an active role, supporting both the practical and emotional aspects of the journey.
Of course, travelling with dialysis comes with additional considerations. Treatment schedules need to be arranged in advance, clinics coordinated and practical details carefully planned. For Natalia, taking on those responsibilities initially felt daunting.
Like many care partners, she wondered how everything would work away from familiar routines and whether she could manage the planning and support her mother needed throughout the journey.
“Before our first trip, I was stressed about how it would be, whether I'd be able to handle the planning, logistics, and care for my mother on my own. However fear makes cowards of us all! It wasn’t bad after all and with each trip, it got easier and easier. Now that we travel a lot, nothing scares me and I'm ready for new adventures!”
Over time, the focus shifted from planning to possibility. What once felt daunting became familiar, allowing Natalia to spend less time worrying about logistics and more time enjoying the journey itself.
For her, travel is ultimately about connection. It is an opportunity to step away from everyday routines, experience new places together and continue creating memories with her mother. The reassurance of knowing that treatment can be arranged along the way makes that possible, allowing dialysis to become part of the journey rather than the thing around which everything revolves.
“I come from a family of travelers, I've been traveling since birth. My parents used to take care of me and organise vacations when I was a kid, but now that's changed. Now I am responsible for my mom and planning our trip. Thanks to holiday dialysis, I'm freeing up the stress of dialysis logistics, so I can focus on other aspects of planning.”
For Natalia, her mother and countless other patients and families, d.HOLIDAY is designed to remove one of the biggest barriers to travel: uncertainty. By coordinating dialysis treatment across locations, it helps people plan journeys with confidence, knowing that care will continue wherever they go.
For some, that means reuniting with family. For others, discovering new places or returning to familiar ones. In Natalia's case, it means continuing the road trips she and her mother have always loved - and focusing on the journey rather than the logistics behind it. Because travelling with dialysis is not simply about receiving treatment away from home; it is about preserving the freedom to keep exploring, keep connecting and keep creating memories together.
Our stories
View all
