“I had this miracle happen to me: this program supported me and had the patience to match me with a second specialist who could help me. I worry what would happen to my boys if something were to happen to me.”

Maria Luisa is a 47-year-old mother of two sons. Fearing for her family’s safety because of escalating violence in her country, she fled Nicaragua in 2018 and made her way to the United States. Upon arriving in Richmond, California, she began working in a factory. Though her job was hard, she worked to provide basic food and housing for herself and her children.

In 2022, Maria Luisa began experiencing excruciating abdominal pain. The pain was so severe some days that she was incapacitated and could not work. She called in sick several times, and her employer laid her off.

Maria Luisa visited Lifelong Brookside in San Pablo, where she was examined and took a FIT test, Unfortunately, the results were positive for blood in the stool sample. Maria Luisa was devastated. She was unemployed and in immense pain. Fortunately, her primary care provider referred her to our program, and she qualified. She was relieved she would get the care without incurring substantial medical debt. We matched her with Dr. Varun Takyar, a gastroenterologist at Sutter East Bay Medical Foundation, who performed a colonoscopy and discovered a polyp, which he attempted to remove. However, the polyp was deeply embedded in the surrounding tissue and removal might result in unnecessary damage to her colon. He took a sample of the polyp for biopsy.

The results of the biopsy indicated that she had a tubular adenoma, which is a benign precancerous polyp. We matched Maria Luisa with a second specialist, Dr. Rishi Sharma, a gastroenterologist at John Muir Walnut Creek Medical Center. Dr. Sharma and his team performed a hybrid endoscopic submucosal dissection to remove the deeply embedded tubular adenoma. The surgery was a success and Maria Luisa is fully recovered and no longer in pain. She found a new job and feels strong and healthy. She shared, “When you are sick, it’s as if your entire family is unwell. You are angels that God put on my path so my body and my family could be healthy again.”

Story and photo shared with patient’s permission.