Grateful for our partnerships with patients and their families who put their trust in us

Teamwork made the dream work

When diagnosed with the rarest form of lung cancer, Kate’s HMO claimed they could treat her for the  remaining  6 months they predicted  she would live. Ever tenacious and optimistic, Kate came to us convinced there had to be another way to beat the odds. Her dream was to see her sophmore son graduate from college and she felt, with the right care, this would be possible – and more.  We agreed!  

The first step in our partnership was to find an affordable insurance plan that would be accepted by leading cancer specialists and hospitals. Then, to inspire and guide Kate further, we connected her with the founder of a cancer support non-profit who was a long-term survivor of the same rare cancer.  

Fighting cancer is physically draining so we also arranged for Kate to receive nutrition counseling and free massages from a local wellness center which specializes in cancer support.

Due to treatment from doctors and  hospitals with deep experience in her cancer, Kate survived for 3.5 years, enjoying graduations, baby showers, Christmas dinners  and many more special moments with her family. Just what she dreamed of.  

Life-saving surgery approved from a chair lift

Two-year old Ellie was offered life-saving surgery at a highly respected children’s hospital but her family’s insurance company denied coverage, deeming the toddler’s surgery “too risky.”  We tracked down a senior executive from their insurance company – who happened to be on a chair lift, skiing in Colorado –  and asked him to reverse the decision.  He did!  Within one day!

Ellie is now 10 years old and thriving.  Periodically, we send updates on her full life to the insurance executive so he can feel good about his part in saving little Ellie’s life, too.

Planning = Peace of Mind

After suffering a sudden stroke, Mrs. M moved across the country to be closer to family. She settled into a 55+ community in a semi-rural area so she was a bit  anxious about the availability of care if she had another stroke – or for any other health care she might need.  Mrs. M asked us to help her identify local medical providers, emergency rooms and stroke-center hospitals that would best match her needs.  We also put together a plan to ensure rapid and coordinated care in case of emergency, something that gives Mrs. M and her daughter much peace of mind.

Fewer medications added up to better quality of life

Mrs. C suffered debilitating  pain and her life was a revolving door of doctor  appointments.  Noting that she was increasingly dependent on a wheelchair, her husband worried that she was “going downhill” and reached out to us .

We evaluated the 15 medications Mrs. C took daily and identified several of concern. Accompanying Mrs. C to doctor appointments  resulted in good discussions about her medications and, in the end, her doctors discontinued six of them.  

Mrs. C’s  pain levels greatly improved, enabling her to participate in rehab to get back on her feet. Eventually, Mrs. C rejoined her bridge group and book club ­­– and she especially enjoyed dinners out with her husband and family, again!

Getting to “yes” after Mayo said “no”

Mayo Clinc diagnosed and  treated Mr. A for pulmonary fibrosis (PF), an incurable disease that shuts down the lungs,  usually in 4 years or less.  The only cure is a lung transplant, however only 1% of patients with PF ever receive a new lung. Mayo’s care plan was designed to make sure Mr. A qualified for a transplant, and all went well until Mr. A was just weeks from death and final testing unexpectedly revealed a tiny hole in his heart.  The Mayo team decided that this small imperfection might jeopordize Mr. A’s chances for a successful lung transplant and disqualified him. We agreed with Mr. A that a 2nd opinion was worth a shot.

We assembled Mr A’s medical records and solicited testimonial letters from several other physicians who had treated Mr. A over the years. Due to Mr. A’s worsening condition, we FedExed an organized, indexed packet of Mr. A’s documents to the top 16 transplant centers in the US and followed up with calls to surgeons at every facility.

Soon after, Mr. A received the gift of a new lung at the #1 transplant facility in the world. His surgeon said Mr. A had “sailed through with flying colors” and predicted he would rejoin his golf buddies just a few months later!