Patient With Neurological Disorders Travels to Life-Changing Care
Difficulties with Neurological Disorders
Barbara lives in Destin, Florida. She has no family members nearby, so when something goes wrong, she doesn’t have much support. And in 2020, things went very wrong.
Her doctor diagnosed her with a host of neurological disorders. It was only going to get more difficult from there.
Threats to Health, Times Three
The neurological disorders Barbara suffered from are progressive, meaning they get worse over time. She lives with three: dystonia and Parkinson’s, along with gait and balance problems. These threatened her health and overall quality of life.
Barriers to Treatment..
“I am unable to work at this time,” said Barbara, “due to my conditions and their effects.” She receives disability payments, but they barely cover basic living expenses. It almost certainly wouldn’t cover critical medical treatment.
Her best chance at changing her life was at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Unfortunately, two barriers to care showed up. The first was distance – driving would take 4 hours and 37 minutes and require more than 300 miles on the road. The second was cost – gas for such a long trip was too expensive, and air travel was out of the question.
...Broken by Travel Assistance
When patients face barriers to care, they often begin to pray. Barbara’s prayers were answered by a team of angels – Mercy Medical Angels! The barriers to treatment were broken by travel assistance.
“I first worked with ground transportation coordinators,” said Barbara. “They put me on a Greyhound bus for the first few evaluations.”
However, the struggle wasn’t over yet. She needed to fly to her next set of appointments. Once again, Mercy Medical Angels was prepared to help. “Shaila assisted me with getting commercial flights,” said Barbara. “She used my financial information from previous trips, which made it so much easier.”
Barbara flew with American Airlines, with funding from The Hogan Foundation covering her costs. Thanks to the travel assistance, she was able to see neurology specialists at the University of Florida in Gainesville. The specialists gave her treatment and answers – improving her quality of life.
“It Sure Was a Stress Reliever..."
Barbara is now back home, and doing much better than before. She still struggles with neurological disorders. But now, she can rest assured: Mercy Medical Angels, American Airlines, and The Hogan Foundation will continue to help her.
“It sure was a stress reliever. I am going through a difficult time, with progressive neurological diseases and being on disability. Mercy Medical Angels made that easier. Thank you so much!”
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