At the age of five, I went through daily life in terms of clock hours. The chimes from the grandfather clock in the living room and chirps from the cuckoo clock in the dining room each signaled the passing of another hour and reminded me of what was to come. Six o’clock a.m. was my usual wake-up time, while 4:00 p.m. was when my sister and I would go swimming during the summer months. Sandwiched between those two times was 3:00 p.m., the time in which the half-hour long children’s television show, Arthur, ran on a local station. Centering around the titular animated aardvark character and his family and friends as they went through daily life and solved family, friendship, and school problems, this show was not only a source of entertainment, but a comfort for me as I navigated kidney disease.
First introduced by a childhood babysitter, the initial source of comfort from Arthur was the dependability of the show. At that time, I was dealing with the effects of a kidney injury which came as the result of a congenital heart defect, and there were many unknowns. I didn’t know for how long I would have to take medications, and the frequency of labs was hard to predict. Arthur was one of my consistent comforts. Whenever I had medical appointments or tests to go to, I knew that I could come home and watch Arthur. Furthermore, upon sitting down to watch, the show’s format was always the same, from the opening theme song and characters to the closing credits. For that one half-hour, I could let myself relax and unwind. It was a wonderful break from the sometimes-scary realities of life.
In addition to the dependability, the age and independence of characters in Arthur was also comforting. All of the main characters were eight years old, which does not seem old in retrospect, but to a five-year-old child, eight was old. Eight was an age that seemed old enough to be a big kid—and it was closer than the teenage years I coveted thanks to my older cousins’ influence. On television, these characters were often portrayed biking and walking around town or doing homework each night. I really wanted that same level of independence too, and I thought that would come by age eight. As the three years passed between five and eight years old, I did become more independent not only in the ways that Arthur portrayed, but also with my kidney disease. I started taking the lead in my appointments and learned to manage my own medications. Realistically, achieving the greater level of independence was mostly due to the time my mom and medical team spent teaching me how to manage my condition from an early age. However, a cartoon aardvark insisted that eight was the magical age in which independence came, and he correctly predicted that outcome for me.
Even though my interest in Arthur faded in favor of other shows, the show’s endurance still comforts me as an adult. In 2022, I read a news article that noted Arthur would be broadcasting its final episode after 25 years on the air. When a television show first begins, the production staff don’t know if it will be successful or how many seasons it will encompass. Twenty-five years is an impressive run.
Similarly, with kidney disease, no one knows how long their time with the disease will last. When my disease started progressing in 2010, I didn’t know how I would be able to get through the next six months of trying diet changes and medications to see what would help. I wanted to know what would work best right then. Yet, with the aid of my healthcare providers and family, I did get through those first nerve-wracking months, and have continued to keep going nearly 15 years later. Just like Arthur proved to have the endurance to last 25 years, I can try to go as long as I can.
Although Arthur was a television staple for me in childhood, the comfort it provided then and now will live in my memory forever. That’s the beauty of not only television shows, but also movies, books, and music. Each one has aspects that can be seen or heard and make an impact for a lifetime. May all kidney patients find an entertainment form that gives them that lifetime comfort.
Abigail Clary is a Northern California resident who was diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease secondary to an acute kidney injury caused by Coarctation of the Aorta and premature birth. She received her BA in Liberal Studies and teaching credential from Sonoma State University and now works as a special education teacher. In moments of free time, she enjoys reading, baking, and spending time with her twin sister.
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