Patient Stories

The three generations of women pictured here have deep connections to our community and to North by Northeast. We met Skylar in the fall of 2011 when she joined our mentorship program as a junior at Jefferson High School. We immediately loved Skylar’s cheerful personality and got to know her well during her yearlong internship. A quick learner and eager to put her new knowledge to use, Skylar talked with her family and friends about the risks of high blood pressure. When her grandmother, Sue Price, needed help, Skylar’s knowledge and familiarity with North by Northeast’s services was invaluable. Sue had lost her job eight months’ prior and been unable to refill her blood pressure medicine. Skylar encouraged Sue to come to our walk-in clinic, where volunteer Dr. Tom Syltebo got her back on her blood pressure medication. Her pressure was soon down to normal but a month later Sue began experiencing pain in her left arm. She called us, and our staff talked her through the warning signs of stroke and heart attack and advised her to go to the emergency room. Sue credits this advice with saving her life. Though she is no longer a patient at North by Northeast – she now has Medicare – Sue is an active member of our Patient Wellness Council, coordinating quarterly potlucks for the group and injecting her humor and great spirit into the Council’s monthly meetings.

For the past year we’ve also gotten to know Shawn Price: Skylar’s mom and Sue’s daughter. Shawn also came to North by Northeast concerned about high blood pressure. Over the past year, with medication, lifestyle coaching and lab monitoring, Shawn has seen her blood pressure come under control. Shawn believes North by Northeast has been life-changing for her and her mom: “I’m so thankful for the care given to me this year,” says Shawn. “I am convinced I would have had a stroke without this clinic. Please know this place is essential to our community’s survival. Even though small in size, the clinic excels in treating the patient as a whole and creating a personal relationship. This should be the standard in healthcare.”

Thank you, Shawn. We couldn’t agree more!

Abigail Lawrence has a dream: to open her own theater company and help build local youth theater opportunities. Pursuing her dream meant leaving a steady job at a state university – and the health insurance she relied on – and moving back to Portland and a variety of jobs that didn’t provide health coverage. When she came to us for her first visit in mid-September, it was for follow-up of a leg wound that she worried could turn into something serious. She didn’t know there was a far bigger threat to her health. Our volunteers discovered that Abigail’s blood pressure was 209/143. With a family history of hypertension but no obvious symptoms, Abigail knew she might have problems with her blood pressure someday but didn’t imagine it would happen until she was older. By the end of her first visit, Abigail had a prescription for free blood pressure medication from volunteer Dr. Debbie Murphy, an order for lab tests donated by Legacy Health System and a follow-up appointment. With frequent visits and medication adjustments, Abigail’s pressure came down from dangerously high levels to near normal within six weeks. Her decision, as she says, “to get busy living” has also been critical to her success. The theater company is putting on their first production in the summer of 2013. When they make it big, says Abigail, she plans to give back to North by Northeast for the care and dedication of our volunteers and staff and all we have given her. We’ll be right there, cheering her on!

North by Northeast patient Thomas Mullen has been getting his high blood pressure treated at North by Northeast for more than three years. He shared his story with us.

Shortly after his first visit to North by Northeast, Mr. Mullen’s mother suffered a stroke. He was spending time with her in the hospital when he got an unexpected visitor. “When my mother was in the hospital, North by Northeast sent someone from the clinic to check on me,” Mullen says. “She said, ‘We heard you were here. Take your shirt off so I can listen to your heart.’ I still can’t get over it.”

That level of personal care is a big reason why Mr. Mullen is a fan of North by Northeast. He started coming to the clinic when he left his job as an electrical engineer to care for his mother after she had several heart attacks. While he was working he had health insurance but still couldn’t afford the expensive blood pressure medicine his doctor prescribed. The staff at North by Northeast changed his medicine and helped him get his blood pressure under control.

Thanks to Legacy Health System’s donation of lab services to North by Northeast, we are able to monitor Mr. Mullen’s cholesterol and make sure his blood pressure treatment isn’t putting stress on his kidneys. While it was nice to regularly see one personal physician, Mr. Mullen says, he wouldn’t want to change back to his old doctor, even if he got health insurance. “I meet different people” at North by Northeast, “and they’re all so nice.”

North by Northeast patient Donna Moulton passed away on November 9, 2010. She is survived by her husband, Jim, and daughter, Suzanne. We are grateful to Jim for his kindness and gentle manner toward our staff and volunteers while Donna was in our care. Our thoughts are with Jim, Suzanne and Donna’s family and friends during this time. Jim wrote the following words in memory of Donna:

After 5 months enduring a gland destroying cancer, Donna left us with dignity on November 9th at about 4:00 AM while sleeping at home in the care of her husband. Her pain had been controlled quite well with medication prescribed by hospice, and she was lucid until the end. She was cremated as per her wishes. We’d like to thank North by Northeast for their kind, respectful treatment and immense help. If you’d like to send flowers, please instead send a small donation in her name to help keep this clinic open and available to the uninsured community. Donna was a Wicken witch, and candle magic was her medium to heal and balance friends, acquaintances and even strangers. Instead of a memorial service, please light a candle or bonfire now or on the Winter Solstice sacred day (December 21), and celebrate by a toast to the circle of life from Crone to Child and her memory. Blessed be.

Kevin Howard has high blood pressure and an enlarged heart.  He does well to manage these conditions and he openly attributes his success to the quality of the relationship he has established with the staff and volunteers at North by Northeast. He has experienced health care in a variety of environments from large hospital to his local community clinic.

When Kevin first walked into North by Northeast, he remembers how impressed he was by the personal attention each patient received and by how positive the attitude of the staff was. “It was almost like you were young and you had hurt yourself and you go to your grandma’s and she rubs you on the back. It feels like home coming in here. I don’t feel like I’m a number. The doctor spends more than five minutes with me. When I come in here, my doctor gives me a hug and asks how I’m doing and she really wants to know. She cares. It’s personal for me and that’s why I love this place.” He goes on further to talk about how this kind of experience has affected his health. “Having this personal relationship with this clinic, I make sure I take my medication on time. They’ll call me from time to time to ask me how I’m doing and to make sure that I’m on my medications. That kind of stuff really makes a difference. When someone personally puts some interest in you, your tendency is to want to do better. People will heal themselves if you give them that kind of personal care. Being taken care of by someone who truly has your best interest at heart is all anyone could ask for. That’s worth more than gold.”

Kevin admits that he still has some work to do. He’s been trying to quit smoking for years. He admits that the clinic is doing their part and their cheerleading encourages him. “ They want to make sure that I’m getting the support I need to be healthy. They’ll bend over backwards, stay up late at night or miss a meal to make sure that their patients are getting the care they need. It matters to me that my doctors have a good heart. They are not only quality physicians, they are quality people.”