Dale Calibaba left St. John's Monday on a cross-Canada trip to show the ways people without functioning kidneys can go about living normal lives.

Calibaba, 46, has been going through kidney dialysis treatment for over a decade. For years, he had to go to a clinic three times per week to get his treatment.

Dale Calibaba left St. John's on Monday to start a bicycle trip across Canada, raising awareness around kidney dialysis treatments. (CBC)

Eventually he was given a 'peritoneal dialysis' (PD) machine, which frees him from those regular visits — and allows him to do things like cycling across the country.

PD allows patients to give themselves dialysis treatments at home or on the road rather than having to regularly go to a health care centre.

For Calibaba, getting his own PD machine means he can now take on such an ambitious project.

"It's been a long road," he told supporters on the steps of St. John's City Hall Monday morning.

"One of the reasons why I am riding across Canada is to promote the types of PD options that patients can have, other than having to go to a clinic and hook up to a human dialysis machine three times a week."

Living a life-long dream

In the moments before he set off on his bike in downtown St. John's, he told the crowd he hopes to to empower other patients to educate themselves about treatment options.

Calibaba spoke to supporters on the steps of St. John's City Hall on Monday. (CBC)

He believes that peritoneal dialysis has not only allowed him to live a normal life, but to live out his life-long dream.

After leaving St. John's on Monday, Calibaba plans to cover about 120 km per day with his dialysis machine in tow the whole way. 

"I'm very excited," he said.

"I'm just anxious to get on the beginning of the Trans-Canada Highway and start heading back west."

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