Several decades ago, Ms. Susan* made the difficult decision to undergo one of the first gastric bypass surgeries, which was supposed to drastically improve her quality of life. Instead, due to unforeseen complications, she was left with significant scar tissue.
In the past few years, the scar tissue expanded to cover much of her digestive track, preventing her from swallowing any food or drink. As someone who provides for her family, loves to sing, and just wants a normal life, the inability to eat normal food made it incredibly difficult to live the life she envisioned for herself. Further complications – arising in part due to systemic barriers that make it difficult for people without health insurance to access quality care - nearly cost her her life. Although Ms. Susan received numerous services from various emergency rooms to give her enough nutrition to survive the next few weeks, what she needed was a medical champion to coordinate care between her specialists and advocate for a long-term solution.
Steadfast in her goal to get healthy so that she could be there to help raise her newborn granddaughter, Ms. Susan worked closely with PCIC care coordinators to figure out a long-term solution to achieve wellbeing. After PCIC helped her secure a Gold Card, enabling her to entry the County Health System, it became clear that her path to recovery would require a major surgery to repair the damaged tissue lining her digestive system. She invested time and energy into getting to know her providers and spent fifty-two days away from her family while she was in the hospital to prepare for and undergo her surgery, before starting the long road to recovery.
Despite feeling constantly fatigued, hungry, and unable to fully participate in the social activities normally associated with eating (think about it, how many of your social events revolve around food or drink?) for several years, Ms. Susan maintained an admirable spirit of humor, patience, and fortitude through the duration of our time with her. By working with PCIC care coordinators, she gained a greater understanding of how to actively engage with the healthcare system, so when she faces her next health challenge she will have the tools to access the right resources at the right time. We are excited for her as she takes the next steps (and bites) along her path to health, alongside her supportive family and new granddaughter.
