In 2007 I interviewed Dr. John Sadler in his office in Baltimore, MD. Dr. Sadler has been an iconic leader in chronic dialysis care as a patient advocate and has also provided staunch nephrology leadership with healthcare political and policy influence. This interview includes personal, poignant stories of being a dialysis tinkerer in the early days of chronic dialysis treatment with tireless efforts to improve patient outcomes and quality of life. Dr. Sadler provides vivid details on the state of dialysis technology in the 1960s and 1970s and he describes the battle he and other nephrology pioneers fought to improve the health and lives of chronic dialysis patients.