Care Chronicles: Meet Heather
Heather’s Story
Our health, good or bad, impacts every aspect of our daily lives. Ignoring warning signs of an illness can be life-threatening, but many without health insurance feel that they do not have a choice.
At 35, Heather worked a retail job on Clearwater Beach to provide for herself and her son. She was unable to afford the insurance offered through her employer, leaving her to treat her prolonged stomach pain with over-the-counter medications. The onset of severe pain sent Heather to Morton Plant Hospital’s emergency room where she was diagnosed with a perforated bleeding gastric ulcer and life-threatening anemia. Thankfully, she was admitted and received surgery to repair her gastric ulcer. While being examined during her surgical post-op appointment, she experienced unusual chest heaviness with palpitations and nausea. She was then readmitted to MPH for a heart attack and ultimately the placement of a cardiac stent.
Following discharge from the hospital, Heather was referred to the Clearwater Free Clinic for follow-up. As an established patient, she receives care from a dedicated nurse practitioner and a CFC volunteer cardiologist and gastroenterologist for medical oversight and medication management. Due to careful monitoring of Heather’s anemia by Clinic nurse practitioners, another hospitalization was prevented when she was able to receive an outpatient transfusion.
Heather is now on the road to better health and happy to be returning to work.
“I tell everyone about the Clearwater Free Clinic. Being a single Mom, I know I have to stay healthy for my 6 year old but I also have to provide for him as well. I thank God I was sent to the Clinic.”
Our partners, volunteers, and donors who give so generously to the CFC make a positive, lasting difference in the lives of our neighbors like Heather who otherwise would be left without healthcare options. Each primary care visit, ultrasound, specialty referral, medication, and life-saving diagnosis is possible because of your support and we are so grateful.
To make an investment in the Clearwater Free Clinic is to invest in the promise of a healthier, brighter community for everyone. How could our community afford not to continue serving those who otherwise lack the means to access healthcare? We invite you to join us this holiday season in our mission to deliver comprehensive medical care to uninsured families. Thank you to all who have provided love, support, and hope to our organization and those we serve.