This makes it all worth while

I was just forwarded this link by the Access and Referral Coordinator (Tara) at Project Access at the Coalition that my clinic is a part of and wanted to share it with you all. About a month ago, Tara called me asking for a patient story for some publicity for our program and I offered the story of a patient that has gone through a lot in pursuit of care for her extremely painful skin condition. Here is a copy of the story. I hope it gives you a little more insight to what I'm doing this year. You can find the actual web page and Isha's picture here.


Isha’s dermatological condition made her so self-conscious she became extremely anti-social; she’d hate even the thought of interacting with people. Two days after she moved from Cleveland to Portland for a job transfer, the local company department closed. Isha was out of a job in a city she didn’t know, and with no insurance to help her get medical attention.

“It actually turned out to be a blessing,” Isha said. She found Wallace Medical Concern, where her doctor connected her with Erin Cooley, who enrolled Isha in Project Access.

Following three months of antibiotic treatment and consultations with Dr. Nathalie McDowell Johnson, of Surgical Associates, and Dr. Daniel Zegzula, of Portland Plastic Surgery, Isha underwent a successful surgery in December 2009. She said, “They took out as much diseased tissue as possible without leaving almost any scars.”

Laughing, Isha said, “It’s over with. I’m healing. I smile more. I feel comfortable getting out among people. Even my family commented on how my personality changed.” In her own estimation, Isha has “a couple of months to go” with follow up visits and recovery.

Relief came with a degree of gratitude. “Everyone at Wallace [Medical Concern] and [Legacy] Good Samaritan was wonderful. They all took time to listen, thoroughly examine me, and then tell me what my options were, the good and the bad.”

As she related her story, Isha sounded surprised at times. “Someone at Project Access called me to tell me what the process was and the expectations. At the end, they asked what they can do to improve. I thought, ‘Is there something else? You guys are doing exceptionally well and are asking for feedback.’ I loved it! It was something I had never experienced before.”

That it all was a volunteer effort compounded Isha’s feelings. “It was special,” she said. “I had no job, very little income, no bright outlook on things. It just so happened I was at the right place at the right time. If it hadn’t been for Erin Cooley, I wouldn’t be here.”

(February 2010)