Thomas Holmes: Tour DaVita Rider

Thomas Holmes of Southfield, Michigan, rode in the Tour DaVita® last year and was so moved and energized by the experience that he vowed to ride every year from now on.

“The six patient riders last year were treated like rock stars,” said Thomas. “I feel like I’m just a regular dude, but the whole DaVita village treated me with great love and respect and everyone I saw encouraged me to keep on riding.”

Thomas, 43, is a computer engineer interested in moving into healthcare related work. He and his wife Latonya have four children, ages 15, 16, 19 and 24. Thomas, who had always been active and in good health, was shocked to be diagnosed with kidney disease in 2004. “I played football in high school and college and used to do weight training daily. I had run five marathons,” said Thomas. “I didn’t expect to have my kidneys fail.”

He has been on dialysis for the last four years – the last two on home hemodialysis and – and he is now on the waiting list for a new kidney. He likes the independence that home treatment gives and says that he feels like he’s in charge of his life once again.

Thomas calls himself the “unofficial ambassador” for home hemodialysis. He visited a number of dialysis clinics on last year’s Tour and spoke to patients about how well the home treatment was working for him.

He is looking forward to this year’s Tour and thinking about doing the century ride (100 miles in one day) this time around. He’s been cycling 16 to 30 miles a day, often with his dachshund Brownie on board his bike, to get himself ready. “I made a commitment that I would be back and that I would keep coming back,” concluded Thomas. “I can’t wait to get to South Carolina and join the Tour again.”