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<\/a>Dear Friend of Mountain Hope,<\/p>\nThe blessings I have experienced at Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Clinic are too numerous to count.<\/p>\n
Recently, I was working in the medical hallway among a number of patients, but one woman stood out.\u00a0 She was in tears. I know that look\u2014the panic of not being able to regain your composure and desperately wanting it back.\u00a0 My stomach sank.\u00a0 As tears rushed down her cheeks, our nurse weighed her and the woman apologized again for not keeping it together.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t leave my seat, and I had no idea how to help.<\/p>\n
I am so in awe of generosity of those who volunteer here and support this place, and I am more grateful than ever for the good folks in this community who believe in giving their neighbors a hand up\u2014people like Jackie.\u00a0 This is a safe place, a healing place, and it\u2019s the legacy of hundreds who have worked to make it what it is.\u00a0 It started with Dr. Alyene Reese, nearly 17 years ago, who led the charge with faith and hard work.<\/p>\n I love Tuesdays and Thursdays because of Dr. Robert Valosik, a wonderful, retired doc who volunteers then.\u00a0 Dr. Bob has the same effect on most people as sunshine.\u00a0 If you meet him, you\u2019ll understand.<\/p>\n Dr. Bob told me about Neil Lee, a local pastor, not too long ago.\u00a0 He said that when he began treating Neil, the man couldn\u2019t walk through his church.\u00a0 He was so weak; there were times he had to crawl.<\/p>\n Neil Lee, it turns out, is an inspiration.<\/p>\n Neil made an appointment at Mountain Hope. \u201cIn walked this little man with a big smile,\u201d Neil told me. Within a moment, Dr. Bob Valosik had correctly diagnosed the very rare Myasthenia Gravis, an autoimmune disease that causes loss of muscle function as chemical receptors in the body are blocked. It can go undiagnosed for years, and begins with difficulty keeping eyelids open, eventually affecting all muscles, making even eating hard.\u00a0 Few doctors know it on sight as Dr. Bob did. His diagnosis was life-saving.<\/p>\n For years, Neil was treated by Dr. Bob.\u00a0 There were bouts so bad that Neil was hospitalized multiple times.\u00a0 He was eventually referred to a neurologist who agreed to treat him for only $5 per month.\u00a0 Still, Neil was dealing with muscles that refused to work, with trials of medications that led to severe dehydration, and steroids that led to massive weight gain.\u00a0 Through it all, for five years, Dr. Bob saw Neil as his primary care doctor, and called between visits to check in. Neil Lee will tell you that it\u2019s true– at Mountain Hope, you are among friends.<\/em><\/p>\n Neil\u2019s story is one of many. This year, we have surpassed 20,000 patients of record.\u00a0 The need for quality medical and dental care for the uninsured is more imperative than ever. With premiums for ACA insurance on the rise, we expect that many more will seek our help in 2016.\u00a0 Far too many simply cannot pay the ACA premiums.\u00a0 Folks are also reeling from cuts to working hours because employers can\u2019t afford to insure full-time employees.<\/p>\n Our patients pay what they can, but there is a $65 deficit between the average $30 that patients pay and the cost of treatment.\u00a0 That leaves lots of ground to cover, and we still turn away hundreds of people every month\u2014people like Neil, people who need us.\u00a0 We have had to say, \u201cI\u2019m sorry, but we\u2019re full,\u201d thousands of times already in 2015.<\/p>\n I\u2019m glad to report Neil Lee is pastoring his church on his feet these days.\u00a0 The right meds and good providers make it possible to live a productive life that he loves.\u00a0 Dr. Bob still speaks to him by phone regularly. Neil is no longer a patient, but he\u2019s still among friends and will always be a part of the Mountain Hope family.<\/p>\n This season, remember that health is a gift.\u00a0 We count you as part of the Mountain Hope family, too, and I am grateful for the lives you continue to change\u2014and yes, save– with your support. \u00a0During horribly difficult times,<\/em> you are the reason that our patients know they are among friends.<\/em> If you can help us again to provide quality care for our neighbors<\/a>, I want to thank you for the difference you\u2019re making in Sevier County.\u00a0 You are supporting the very significant efforts of folks like Jackie Burk and Dr. Bob Valosik.\u00a0 If you cannot donate now, please remember our patients, their families, our staff, and volunteers in your prayers during this holiday.<\/p>\n May you be blessed for your faithfulness,<\/p>\n Ashley Justice \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Mary Vance<\/p>\n Director of Fund Development \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Executive Director<\/p>\n Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Clinic \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Clinic<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" December 1, 2015 Dear Friend of Mountain Hope, The blessings I have experienced at Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Clinic are too numerous to count. Recently, I was working in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":1122,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mountainhope.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mountainhope.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mountainhope.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mountainhope.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mountainhope.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=310"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mountainhope.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mountainhope.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mountainhope.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mountainhope.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mountainhope.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/a>Help here, at Mountain Hope, is often angelic, and yesterday it arrived in the person of Jackie Burk, a volunteer nurse. \u00a0I listened as she knelt beside the woman \u201cHoney,\u201d<\/em> she said, \u201cIt\u2019s OK to cry here.\u00a0 You\u2019re among friends.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 It was that simple, and it was true. At Mountain Hope, you\u2019re always among friends.<\/p>\n<\/a>I sat down with Neil at his church in Seymour as he told me, \u201cFive years ago, I woke up and wondered if I\u2019d had a stroke.\u201d\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t a stroke.\u00a0 It also seems that what began as difficulty focusing on beloved crossword puzzles wasn\u2019t the need for glasses he had long suspected.\u00a0 The diagnosis was much, much worse.<\/p>\n<\/a>Though he fought the idea of disability benefits years, eventually Neil applied; benefits were approved. He cried when he heard that because Mountain Hope is a Clinic for the uninsured, and he now had insurance, Dr. Bob\u2014whom he\u2019d grown to love — could no longer treat him. \u201cI think Dr. Bob cried, too,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n