This past month, AMOS led educational activities focused around Breast Cancer Awareness with our support groups. Today we’ll share with you one more example of how your support makes medical exams more accessible to patients in need.
This week’s story of hope is about Lilliam, one of our newest patients at the Samaritan Clinic, who is staying strong while fighting breast cancer.
Lilliam, age 59, is a resilient woman who recognizes the importance of having regular medical checkups.
She lives with her 90-year-old mother, who cheers her up each day she leaves the house on her way to another doctor’s appointment.
Lilliam’s life changed about 4 years ago. The organization where she worked closed, and after a little more than a month of being unemployed, while taking a bath, she discovered that her right breast was hurting.
That discomfort really concerned her. She was thinking of using her severance pay to get a mammogram and hopefully have enough money to go to a doctor’s appointment.
But after checking the prices of these procedures, Lilliam realized that she could not afford them. Fortunately, she was able to find an organization where she received support for surgery and treatment for breast cancer.
Although Lilliam wishes to work, she is unable to do so. She has no more strength in her right arm as a result of the modified radical mastectomy she had, where lymph nodes were removed from her armpit. Without being able to work, it is not always easy for her to get the money for check-ups, but she finds support from her neighbor and people who want to help her.
Every three months, Lilliam has to get several lab tests done before attending her doctor’s appointments. A friend recommended that she visit the Samaritan Clinic at AMOS because of its fast and affordable care.
Due to her economic situation, she had not been able to receive standard tests like pap smears for several years. But at the Samaritan Clinic, she could have lab tests done for less than $5.
Lilliam believes that the Samaritan Clinic’s services are important because they help more women and families prevent disease. At the Samaritan Clinic, she has been able to receive quality care at favorable prices for her!
Even though Lilliam only first came to the Samaritan Clinic a few weeks ago, she already knows she will continue to visit it. The affordable costs have helped her take better care of her health, and the doctors have made her feel safe.
Though she is continuing to receive treatment for her cancer, Lilliam is hopeful for a better future full of health. She shares her testimony with other women so that they can get regular mammograms and take care of themselves, too. She shares, “Today more than ever, I have learned to pray and ask God to give me the strength I need.”
Please pray for Liliam, and know that your support is helping so many patients like her on their journeys towards health and hope.