Examples of Impact
Your support to Baptist Health Deaconess Madisonville Foundation assists, advances and strengthens the exceptional medical care at Baptist Health Deaconess Madisonville.
Meet some of the grateful patients recently touched by the amazing care of Baptist Health Deaconess Madisonville as well as other stories:
Camden & the Miller family
"I would like to introduce you to my son, Camden Miller. He has a rare genetic disorder (ZC4H2, now known as ZARD). At the time he was born, he was the only child in the USA that was diagnosed with the defect, and he was one of only 67 in the world. This condition has caused him difficulties in life with the greatest being from speech apraxia, gross motor delay, CP, bilateral congenital vertical talus, tethered cord, and more. Camden spent the first several years of his life undergoing many surgeries and with disabilities, making him unable to enjoy some of the things that came so easily to healthy kids.
Camden was ordered pediatric PT, ST, and OT and we were fortunate enough to have it right here in our own back door. With the amazing help that Baptist Health Deaconess Foundation offered us he was able to receive the professional knowledge to learn to do the things he couldn't yet. Many hours of treatment and hard work were spent in therapy to transform a nonverbal child to a child who can communicate with sign language, and then eventually saying his first words at this facility. Camden was able to take his first steps with a walker and now is running independently at this facility. He mastered fine motor skills that helped him with everyday activities in this facility. He learned how to explore more foods and eating techniques at this facility. He spent years learning and playing on a handicap accessible playground at this facility.
What I'm saying is… this facility didn't just have a child as a patient, it helped raise and teach a child his first everything at this facility. It gave a child the ability to go as far as his body and mind will allow him to go. Camden and the Miller family are forever grateful for what this foundation did for our family. We have seen time and time again, this foundation changing the lives of every kid that has come through these doors and making a difference that will last them a lifetime.
Now, Camden Miller is a 10-year-old very outgoing, active, and talkative kid. He lives a happy normal life as an A/B honor student in school. He enjoys hobbies of playing video games, swimming, and beekeeping. He still participates with PT and ST to further improve his skills. We would like to take this time to say thank you to Baptist Health Deaconess Foundation for being part of our family and giving our son the ability to live life to the fullest!"
A positive experience despite stressful circumstances
Emily McEnaney recalls in vivid detail the evening she had to rush her injured son, John, to Baptist Health Deaconess Madisonville Emergency Care.
"It was a cold, rainy night with high winds, and Dr. (William) Logan came into the exam room with a dripping-wet raincoat on," she said. "It made me think about how we were his first stop at the hospital instead of a room to dry himself off and hang his coat."
The positive experience during a stressful situation reminded her what a selfless community she lives in: "Every care provided not only doted on my injured son, but also continuously asked me if I needed a blanket, something to drink, etc.," she said. "I am grateful to live in a community with a wonderful hospital with caring staff, nurses and doctors."
Emily and her son had such a wonderful experience at Baptist Health Deaconess Madisonville that she "cannot stop recommending it to friends in the area." It's also reinforced her commitment to show gratitude whenever possible.
Genuine care that makes a lasting impact
Have you ever had to put your life in the hands of a stranger? That's how Ali Frailey's battle with breast cancer began.
"I can't begin to describe what it was like to hear the words ‘you have cancer,' I was looking at the faces of two people I had known for a matter of moments, and yet, I could tell that they deeply cared about the news they were sharing," said Ali.
Ali was given many tools to be able to fight her battle, but she noted that nothing compared to the team that supported her through this journey. When she rang the bell after completing radiation, she couldn't have her family there due to the pandemic.
"The employees at the Merle M. Mahr Cancer Center lining up, clapping with sincere smiles on their faces stands out as one of the most impactful moments in my life," said Ali. "Staff that began as strangers became a second family and to know that I wasn't alone in that instant is something that I can never thank them enough for. The physicians and clinicians at Baptist Health Deaconess Madisonville have given me back my health, my marriage and time with my children. I never felt like I was just another patient to this team, I knew that they saw me as a mother, a friend and a person who had so much life left to live. Because of them, I was just able to watch my oldest son graduate from high school."
Pediatric Play Park
The “Rog Badgett All Inclusive Pediatric Play Park” has enhanced Baptist Health Deaconess Madisonville’s Campus. Since opening in June 2019 it has been visited by thousands of people and has hosted the treatment of hundreds of pediatric therapy patients. Projects like this park are the heart of the Foundation in Madisonville, it's where care and community come together.