It is with warm affection that we “old timers” remember Mary Selsby, who died in June 2024, at the age of 90. Mary was the home dialysis administrator (HDA) at the Royal Free Hospital, initially at the old Fleet Road unit, from 1970 till 1996. Before arriving as the HDA, Mary had trained as a nurse and midwife and worked as a health visitor. Mary was an integral part of the team in those early days of home dialysis, the person who would liaise with councils, medical delivery firms and the hospital to enable the smooth transition of patients from hospital to home treatment.
Patients remember her as always going the extra mile, sometimes even taking them home in her little Mini. Everyone who knew her remembers her ability to talk till the proverbial cows came home, always interesting and entertaining! She often attended the Kidney Patient Association tea party and continued to be a friend to many even in her retirement. She was also remembered by many of the locals in Camden as the midwife who they were told had delivered them. She never, it seems, went on a bus without someone recognising her.
In her last few years, she was supported by the team that she had been so much a part of through the 70’s and 80’s: Dr Rosemarie Baillod, Sister Lesley Pavitt, and Joy Foo, the home dialysis nurse. They have lost a faithful colleague and good friend. We patients, who remember Mary, give thanks for her long life, and how knowing her has enhanced ours.
Diana Garrett
