Patient Stories of Care

Tell Us Your Story!

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:53:05 GMT

NAPH welcomes submissions from its members. Tell us about your awards, new developments, and innovative programs showing demonstrated results. Selected stories are featured on naph.org and used in NAPH advocacy efforts. Your stories help us communicate the "good news" of safety net hospitals. Member stories are featured monthly on naph.org. View the editorial calendar below for topics and deadlines.

Katy Hayes - Kingwood, TX

Wed, 26 May 2010 16:46:34 GMT

This Houston-area mom who faced a flesh-eating bacteria is now back home thanks to the life-saving work by staff at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas.

Johnny Blair - Hazlehurst, GA

Wed, 26 May 2010 16:49:54 GMT

Johnny Blair, 72, learned of his kidney failure during a routine physical. After five years of dialysis, Blair underwent a kidney transplant surgery at Shands Jacksonville. Today's he's back on a divine mission as a pastor.

Quint and Liz - Hollywood, FL

Thu, 13 May 2010 15:10:13 GMT

Liz was 16 weeks pregnant when she and her husband, John, learned their unborn baby had a transposition of the great arteries. Baby Quint received life-saving surgery right after he was born.

Lynda Etheridge - Little Rock, AR

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:33:12 GMT

A year ago, Lynda Etheridge was feeling fine and saw no need for a doctor-recommended brain scan to see if she had an aneurysm. Today she's glad that her husband, Herb, convinced her to do it at UAMS.

LINDA HELMES - COLUMBUS, OH

Wed, 26 May 2010 16:30:07 GMT

Linda Helmes was told she would die of heart failure. She turned to Dr. Benjamin Sun and the experts at Ohio State who implanted the HeartMate II® Left Ventricular Assist System (LVAS). Five years later, Linda is still alive and well.

ABBY MARTIN - LEXINGTON, KY

Wed, 26 May 2010 16:29:44 GMT

Born with CHARGE Association, Abby Martin has endured 25 surgeries in four years. She and her family have faced tremendous challenges, but they're not alone. See how Kentucky Children's Hospital made a difference in their lives.

Tiffany Taylor, Daytona Beach, FL

Thu, 13 May 2010 14:59:43 GMT

Last summer, DeLand resident Tiffany Taylor delivered a healthy 7 pound baby girl, Emily Michaela Thornton. But the delivery wasn't quite the experience she was expecting.

Jen Engler, Daytona Beach, FL

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:25:46 GMT

Jen Engler had always planned to deliver her son Luke at Halifax Health. After he was born, she realized how important that decision had been.

Carol Custodio, Daytona Beach, FL

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 10:46:34 GMT

Radical Surgery Puts Patient on Fast Road to Recovery. Last year, Carol Custodio thought she was just going to the doctor for a routine exam. But she left with some shocking news: She might have cervical cancer.

Sean Carter, Dallas, TX (video)

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 10:46:11 GMT

Watch as former Parkland patient, Sean Carter, learns to walk again after suffering a traumatic brain injury in 2005.

Francisca Perez, Indianapolis, IN

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:26:55 GMT

Francisca Perez lives only three minutes from Pecar Health Center, part of Wishard Health Services. As a mother, she prefers all of her children be treated at Pecar, especially four-year-old Martin.

Sergio Vivanco, Hollywood, FL

Wed, 27 May 2009 11:53:29 GMT

One Fort Lauderdale resident knows first-hand the importance of having a public hospital in their community. Sergio Vivanco, 78, underwent triple bypass surgery at another hospital and then post-surgical complications caused Vivanco to be transferred to Memorial Regional Hospital.

Desiree Batiste, Houston, TX

Wed, 27 May 2009 11:58:58 GMT

In November 2007, after several months of being physically exhausted, working 10-hour days, and preparing to move to another home, Desiree Batiste recalls lying down to take a nap. She didn't wake up until five days later when her family found her barely alive on the floor in her house and called 9-1-1.

Adrian Abenojar, Seattle, WA

Wed, 27 May 2009 12:01:01 GMT

Adrian Abenojar, 18, suffered a central nervous system infection and fluid in his brain following a bout with tuberculosis. In addition to treating him for the TB, doctors drained the excess fluid and relieved the pressure in his brain with a shunt.

Deborah Davis, Atlanta, GA

Wed, 27 May 2009 12:03:23 GMT

Deborah Davis, 53, jogged a few blocks to the pharmacy near her home one evening to pick up a prescription. On the way there she was hit by a car and ended up landing in the middle of an intersection. When an ambulance arrived, the driver, seeing her injuries, took her to Grady, because of its stellar reputation for trauma care.

Elba Silva, Pompano Beach, FL

Wed, 27 May 2009 12:06:16 GMT

Elba's first symptoms were pounding, almost unbearable headaches. A family physician told her she was suffering from depression and prescribed an anti-depressant. But when the headaches intensified, Elba went to North Broward Medical Center's emergency room.

Gail Theurer, San Bernardino, CA

Wed, 27 May 2009 12:15:36 GMT

While jogging one morning, Gail Theurer, 68, was attacked by rottweilers. She was airlifted to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, a Level II trauma center, and treated not only for trauma wounds but burn wounds too, since she had lost so much skin in the attack.

Katherine Silacci, San Mateo, CA

Wed, 27 May 2009 12:17:40 GMT

Katherine Silacci, 83, has diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, kidney disease, osteoarthritis, Paget's disease (a degenerative bone disease) and hearing loss - her daughter found a primary care physician at the San Mateo Medical Center's Ron Robinson Senior Care Center, an interdisciplinary clinic specializing in care to elders.

Jeremiah Archuleta, Denver, CO

Wed, 27 May 2009 12:04:39 GMT

Jeremiah Archuleta, 28, was riding in the back of a truck that suddenly slammed into the car ahead and instantly thrown out of the truck and into the road. Paramedics from Denver Health responded immediately and treated his severe injuries - including a broken neck and an irregular heartbeat.

Brenner Logan, Jackson, FL

Wed, 27 May 2009 11:57:16 GMT

Brenner Logan, 3, had always been healthy and energetic, until he began to turn increasingly pale over several days, and his skin and eyes were completely yellow. Brenner was transferred to Holtz Children's Hospital - part of the Jackson Health System - where a specialist performed a rare transplant technique on him.