Heide’s story
Heide S. calls herself “the new poor.” When the construction company she co-owned with her husband had to lay off all their employees and struggled just to keep the lights on, she couldn’t “even go to the doctor when her scalp itched so intensely it was bleeding”. She was also unable to treat her diabetes and lupus.
“We needed to eat and make house payments, so we were selling off our stuff,” Heide said. “But the pain wouldn’t go away so I had to go to a free clinic to get help. It was my first ever experience asking for help, I couldn’t handle being given something. I had to let go of my shame.”
The staff at Wallace Medical Concern in Gresham, Oregon, helped Heide enroll in Project Access NOW.
“I was interviewed the next day,” Heide said. Care coordinator Paula Vasquez gave Heide assurance that “ I wasn’t a number, I was a person, in the center of the organization’s work. She lined up the best care possible for me.”
Within a week, Heide saw primary care physician Dr. Eric Swiridoff at Legacy Health’s Firwood Clinic. He diagnosed Heide with diabetic psoriasis, prescribed medications for her scalp, and changed her insulin prescription. At the second visit, Heide received a prescription for inflammatory relief and enrolled in a nutrition counseling program.
Results were quick. Heide said, “I started feeling much better within two weeks. It was amazing.”
In a setback, a follow-up test and biopsy found breast cancer. Through Project Access NOW, Heide met with oncologist Natalie Johnson, MD, who, according to Heide, “was the most encouraging person I’ve met. She was the salve that made everything better.”
In October 2010, Heide underwent a successful surgery and started receiving follow-up care at Legacy Good Samaritan Cancer Care Center.
“Nurse practitioner Reza Antoszewska was fabuluous” Heide said.
Heide feels better now, recounting, “I’m healthier. My diabetes is under control, my lupus symptoms are minimal, I eat better, I’m cancer free… My doctor wrote me a congratulations letter on my results.”
Heide has also resumed her role as a volunteer chaplain with residents of the Cascadia Village Retirement and Assisted Living Center in Sandy, Oregon.
“I want to help others,” Heide said. “It does the soul good to give. When business returns, we want to become Project Access NOW donors.
“Nobody wants to be needy and sick, but if you are, Project Access NOW will save your life.”
(March 2011)
