Kathy Fischer is no stranger to the ups and downs of life. She has experienced multiple curve balls – the type which derails you from the path you are on – and has bounced back each and every time. In some of those occasions, she leaned on the help from others; in other times, she used the knowledge and experience gained from the adversity in her life to reach out to members of her community in need. In all of these circumstances she has performed these tasks with grace, dignity and a smile that seems to never fade. “In 1990, my mother had just died the day before Christmas Eve. My grandfather died the week before that and my husband left me the week after [my mother] died. So I lost three of the most important people in my life in a three week period. It wasn’t a pleasant experience. The electricity was turned off. Everything was gone out of my house, so I had to start all over. I did not have a job, I had no place to stay and I had no medical insurance.” Kathy was one of the first patients to be seen at the Broad Street Clinic in Morehead City, NC. When she arrived at the clinic she was dealing with eight different chronic illnesses and was taking 24 pills a day in various medications. Diabetes and high blood pressure were the major concerns, but Kathy was also dealing with Fibromyalgia, Asthma, chronic allergies and weighed 361 pounds. Today, due to the help she received at the free clinic, she was able to obtain disability, undergo a gastro-bypass surgery, lose 192 pounds and no longer needs her insulin, diabetes or high blood pressure medications. Kathy Fisher has been a volunteer at Broad Street Clinic for 14 years and continues to volunteer several times a week. With her health and well-being returning to more normal levels, Kathy was able to find employment. She currently works at the local court house in the Criminal Division and is no longer in need of her disability because she now has medical insurance. |