Tammy’s story
Tammy and her daughter have been through the worst nightmare a parent could imagine. Her daughter’s father committed suicide, leaving Tammy and her nearly eleven-year-old daughter alone. When she thinks about the “giant” responsibility she now bears to ensure her daughter gets the things she needs as well as the love and support every child should have, it brings tears to her eyes.
Tammy works full time but does not receive health insurance through her employer and cannot afford to buy it. So, when her daughter needed medical attention a couple of years ago, Tammy took her to the Essential Health Clinic in Tigard.
While she was there, Tammy confided to the medical assistant that the suspicious, odd-looking lesion on her own arm was worrying her because Tammy’s sister had been diagnosed with melanoma. Though she had first noticed the spot on her arm about seven years earlier, she knew she could never be able to scrape together the money it would take to be seen by a dermatologist so she let it go. Still, it was a frequent source of concern for her.
Thinking about being her daughter’s only parent, she could not bear the thought that she might someday not be there for her and she broke down and cried right there in the clinic’s exam room. That’s when Tammy learned about Project Access NOW. The staff at the Essential Health Clinic made the referral and Tammy was soon connected to Dr. Marla Klein.
Tammy says she felt “so relieved and so thankful” to finally be able to get help. Dr. Klein removed the lesion and, to Tammy’s great relief, the pathology results came back negative for cancer. As Tammy puts it, “it gave me such peace of mind at a time when I desperately needed it.”
Tammy wants to thank Dr. Klein, the Essential Health Clinic and the staff at Project Access NOW, who have always been very helpful, kind and compassionate whenever she has called for assistance.
“I have such a great appreciation for the program and all the providers who are volunteering their time to help people who would not otherwise be able to get that help. “
This photo of Tammy and her daughter was taken at the Dougy Center’s Annual Reflections Auction. Tammy’s daughter was one of several children invited to display their original artwork for the event’s silent auction fundraiser. The Dougy Center provides a safe place for children, teens, young adults and their families, of all income levels, who are grieving a death to share their experiences through peer support, education and training.
