Cheryl Shiveley
December 14th, 2007
All in all, I’ve had a very fulfilling life. I grew up in Middle America (Michigan and Ohio) with a good family and then grew to create a beautiful family of my own. I have been blessed with two daughters, and they have given me seven amazing grandchildren.I must admit, they keep me busy. I watch two of my grandchildren almost every other weekend and love being around all of them as much as possible.
My health unfortunately has never been perfect, and I’ve always struggled with one issue or another. A few years ago I was diagnosed with one of the more difficult challenges I’ve ever faced. I learned I had Meniere’s disease, a disorder stemming from the inner ear. Meniere’s caused me to have spinning sensations, known as vertigo, and I felt like my life was literally spinning out of control. I had to quit work and experiment with different types of treatment. Read More »
Susan Curren
November 16th, 2007
While my story and how I’ve overcome a health challenge may not involve the most deadly of diseases, it does show how taking control of a chronic ailment can lead to a longer, healthier life. I was diagnosed with high cholesterol a number of years ago, and my doctor stressed how important it was to monitor the issue and my overall health to ensure I’d be around for many years to come. When he told me I had high cholesterol, he told me, “Susan, you better take care of this and take your medicine every day, so that we can get this under control.” He wasn’t more right! I started taking my medicine but didn’t always take it everyday for a number of reasons… Read More »
Anita Stone
November 30th, 2007
I know what it feels like to not want to get out of bed in the morning. When you are in so much pain as a result of many different illnesses, it’s difficult to want to get up in the morning and continue another day. My story is filled with many chapters of health problems, but thankfully because of my medications, I’ve been able to turn my challenges into happy and healthy endings… Read More »
Patricia Stoll
December 14th, 2007
My story isn’t too dramatic, but it’s honest. I have dealt with numerous ailments, including diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. While these things are difficult to deal with alone, I am also clinically depressed. And I’m proud to say I’m no longer embarrassed to talk about it.Talking about it has really been my key to happiness. I started feeling like I was losing control of my life when my mother passed away a few years ago. My husband and I had to move, and everything in my life seemed to be in this phase of change that I could not deal with. I had a breakdown and finally admitted that I couldn’t handle this alone. Admitting that you need help is just the hardest thing to do sometimes, I know. I finally admitted to my family that, yes, I needed some help to learn how to be happy again… Read More »
Delilah Davis
October 18th, 2007
I was born and raised in Kansas and have never lived anywhere else. And I have never needed to live elsewhere because my whole family is here, and I have a big family. I have four children – two boys and two girls, as well as four grandchildren – three grand boys and one grandbaby girl. I wouldn’t trade living in Kansas for anything.However, I did fall on hard times about five years ago when I was diagnosed with diabetes. I was going to the doctor for a routine check-up and left the doctor’s office knowing that I was a diabetic. The doctor told me that my blood sugar level was at 450. Most non-diabetic persons have an average blood sugar level of 80 to 100. I was so terrified when I was first diagnosed. I didn’t know anything about the disease except the horror stories I had heard from others. Read More »
Carmen Rivera
October 11th, 2007
I have always been very active and engaged in my children’s lives whether it was helping them with their homework, cooking dinner for them, or even going to baseball games with my son. Then one day, I got the scare of my life after learning that the joy of caring for my children might be taken away from me prematurely.In 2001, I was diagnosed with diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The diagnosis was devastating, even though it should not have been a surprise. After all, these illnesses run in my family. My mother also had diabetes, heart and cholesterol problems and eventually died because of them. The prospect that I would not be around to care for my children and eventually their children was so devastating that I fell into a depression. Read More »
Hallie Anne Day
September 6th, 2007
In early April 2005 I had a dizzy spell at work. Just a few days later came a horrible headache which lasted more than a week, and my vision began to gray and disappear. I was constantly exhausted and weak. My doctor sent me for the first of what became a series of tests to determine what was wrong. In the middle of all this my employer let me go so I lost my job, health insurance and prescription coverage all in the same day. My life changed in an instant, and I was immediately afraid. Read More »
Phyllis Greenberger
February 21st, 2008
The Society for Women’s Health Research was established in 1990 to address the inequities in women’s health that we felt emanated from the fact that women were not traditionally included in medical research. And we were the first to ask the question: if most research was being done on young, healthy, white men, how do we know that the results of it would be relevant to women? We knew that there were differences in prevalence of certain diseases, we knew there were differences in the number of people affected, and in some cases the symptoms, but nobody had ever looked at it and asked why. Read More »
Gerald “Jerry” Johnson
October 5th, 2007
I have always been in fairly good health my whole life. I was an athlete when I was younger and I have continued to do yard work and physical activities as I have gotten older.After going into the doctor for a routine check, my primary physician told me I was a prime candidate for a heart attack and a stroke. The culprit was my cholesterol. Having been active and healthy my whole life, I was not prepared for how serious my condition was. The doctors had me on some medicine to try and bring my cholesterol down to a normal level, but the medicine was causing me serious pain, especially in my shoulders and arms…. Read More »
Virginia “Ginny” Drummond
November 21st, 2007
How I’ve dealt with my health issues seems like a story filled with many chapters. I’m dealing with many different health issues right now, including emphysema, allergies and cholesterol problems. I also have arthritis, and WITHOUT MY MEDICINES I can tell you, I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO GET OUT OF BED… Read More »
Kathleen Johnson
January 18th, 2008
In February 2006, I embarked on a new, exciting journey with my new husband. Unfortunately I suffer from a number of serious health conditions, including asthma, clinical depression and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). PMDD is a condition that causes severe emotional and physical depression that is linked to premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Each month I take seven different medications. After losing my job and consequently my health insurance, I was paying approximately $450 to $500 each month for my prescription medicines. Without insurance I was not able to get my prescribed doses. I was at the point of wanting to end my life because I could not handle having no where to turn for help. Read More »
Bobby Campbell
December 21st, 2007
I live with my wife and three daughters. My wife and I both work part-time jobs and live on a limited income.Three years ago, I suffered a heart attack and subsequently was placed on several prescription medicines. I didn’t think life could get any harder. I was on medication to lower my blood pressure, to keep my cholesterol down and to slow my heart rate. It all happened so quickly and was a little overwhelming… Read More »
Delores McAllister
December 7th, 2007
I had worked all my life and expected to do so for many more years until I faced a turning point in my life in 2004. My husband unexpectedly passed away. Obviously, we had not planned for this devastating life change, but I dealt with it the best I could. I decided I would then go into early retirement. I moved to Newark, Delaware, to make a new start and chose Newark because I would still be close to my family in Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, with all this change, I still had to deal with my multiple health issues. I have high blood pressure, high cholesterol and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), so I must regularly take my prescription medicines to keep my health problems under control. Read More »
Dallas Peterson
October 26th, 2007
I developed diabetes six years ago, and at the time I was still working. I have since then developed high blood pressure too. Within the last two years I had to quit work because of health problems. I now have no insurance. With the help of PPA, I am able to get the medications I need at no cost. Read More »
Colleen Thurman
September 11th, 2007
After having my second child in March of 2005, I was diagnosed with post partum depression and prescribed Zoloft. I have no insurance coverage and the medication runs $110-$150 a month. I began to look for ways to help pay for the medication. I found PPA because my mother had seen a commercial and told me about it. I called the next day and spoke with a real person and about 10-15 minutes later was being sent applications. Upon receiving the applications I filled them out and sent them off. Approximately 3 weeks from the day I called I received my medicine for FREE! This took a huge burden off of me. I am a full time nursing student and full time mother. To not have to worry if my children eat or I receive medicine that I need is wonderful.
