Patient Stories
Helster's Story
After Helster lost her job in 2008, the 55-year-old diabetic with thyroid problems delayed medical care because she could not afford it. The grandmother of five still works per diem as a nursing assistant, but she does not have health benefits.
Her vision had been deteriorating for months, and she was having trouble driving at night, when a frightening episode behind the wheel one sunny day jolted her into action.
"I was driving and the sun glare just hit me," Helster recalled. "It was so incredibly painful and blinding, like something with sharp, rough edges poked me in the left eye."
She mentioned the vision problems to her physician at the Weisman AmeriCares Free Clinic of Bridgeport, who suspected cataracts. He scheduled her for an eye exam the following week with Dr. Arnold Pearlstone, our volunteer ophthalmologist, who determined she needed surgery.
The clinic then connected her with Dr. Brian DeBroff, an eye surgeon with offices in Stratford and New Haven, who agreed to perform cataract surgery at a discounted rate and arranged for the surgery center to reduce its fees.
Within weeks of the diagnosis, Helster had the cataract removed. The surgeon set up a payment plan that allows her to pay off her portion of the bill over 10 months. If it wasn't for the AmeriCares clinic, Helster said she probably would have delayed the procedure until she could pay for it in full. Helster also said she was impressed with the time and the effort the clinic staff and volunteers spent ensuring she received the care she needed.
"Everyone treated me so very well. I could feel the compassion and I could feel the care coming from their hearts," she said. "The vision in my left eye is improving and I am following my doctor's orders as instructed. AmeriCares you made a difference and I thank you so very much!"
Roger's Story
Roger, a 41-year-old musician born and raised in Norwalk, ignored vision problems and a bulging chin for more than a year, hoping they would go away. He attributed his enlarged chin to weight gain; the eye problems he figured were a symptom of Lyme disease.
Then, as he was driving on the highway one night in July 2008, all he could see was a colorful blur from the lights ahead. He knew something was terribly wrong.
For two weeks he wore an eye patch. When his vision didn't improve, he went to an immediate care center to have it checked out. After spending $400 for a blood test that yielded no indication of what was ailing him, Roger, who did not have health insurance, went to the AmeriCares Free Clinic in Norwalk for help. One of the volunteer doctors diagnosed him with a softball-sized goiter and referred him to Norwalk Hospital for a MRI.
"The doctor called and said, 'You should admit yourself to a hospital immediately,'" Roger recalled. "It was thyroid cancer and it had already spread throughout my body. A tumor at the base of my skull was pressing on a nerve, which caused my vision problems."
In November 2008, Roger had his thyroid removed. Radioiodine treatments and radiation followed.
"This thing was coming down the pike – and it was winning – but we caught it in the nick of time," he said.
Now, more than a year later, Roger is still undergoing treatment – and showing promising results.
"My vision is still impaired and I still can't sing lead, but there's hope," Roger said. "AmeriCares saved my life and that's the bottom line. You guys expedited my care to the next level. What you do for people like me is a miracle."
