"My little kidney machine" is how Simi Valley resident Irene Seymour, 71, refers to her portable hemodialysis device.

"The beauty of the whole system is that you are mobile," Seymour said. "It's almost like having your own little kidney that you carry around."

In 2000, Seymour was diagnosed with diabetes and two years later was diagnosed with end-stage kidney failure. While her diabetes is under control, the kidney failure requires hemodialysis treatment.

Patients with chronic failure visit a hospital or treatment center three times a week, each session lasting about three or four hours. It can take up the entire day and often drains the patient of energy.

The new portable machine has given patients like Seymour an alternative.

"I'm no longer attached to a dialysis center three times a week," Seymour said. "I'm doing exactly what's done there but I'm doing it at home."

Taking the machine with her, Seymour has enjoyed a threeday cruise to Mexico, a trip to Disneyland and a recent visit to her son in Reno.

The complexity of using earlier home peritoneal dialysis and home hemodialysis machines limited its use to about 10 percent of the estimated 300,000 Americans who suffer from kidney failure. The new machines, recently

approved by the FDA, require no special water treatment or electrical setup. A trained patient can operate it easily.

Seymour was among 50 patients enrolled in the clinical trials at the South Valley Regional Dialysis Center in Encino, where she was undergoing treatment.

The trials of the Nx Stage System One portable machines, conducted in 2004, involved eight dialysis centers across the country. The machine is about the size of a 13-inch TV and weighs about 40 pounds.

Not only does the device allow the patient mobility, it also allows daily treatments.

"Because it's a short daily treatment it mimics normal kidneys better," said Susan Vogel, administrator at the Encino center. "It's a much gentler, more normalizing type of dialysis."

Seymour retired as a cardiac nurse five years ago. Her husband, Alan, 75, is a retired projects manager with the Hughes Corporation in Canoga Park. The couple lived in Northridge for 35 years and moved to Simi Valley two years ago. They will celebrate their 52nd wedding anniversary in February.

The couple has four adult children: Irene Aldrich, 50, and Walter, 45, both live in Simi Valley;

Alan Jr., 49, lives in Reno, and Matthew, 47, lives in Las Vegas.

Seymour is on the go and keeps busy with 11 grandchildren.

Her new machine allows Seymour to do treatments at her convenience and stay active.

"I have a lot of energy and I don't lose a whole day like at the center," Seymour said. "It cleans my blood and then I'm on my way."