PATIENT STORIES

Everyone at BVMI looks forward to days when Katarina and Sebastian come in. Married for 58 years, they are old souls whose love lights up BVMI the moment they walk through the doors.

When Santiago first came to BVMI, he was showing all the classic signs of Type II diabetes. He had blurry vision, frequent hunger and a need to use the bathroom often. “I would be spending time with my family and I would always have to disrupt beautiful moments to go eat or go to the bathroom. My wife was so worried about me.”

When you meet Henry, he immediately shows off pictures of his beaming family: his wife, three successful children and three delightful grandchildren. Despite the smiles, Henry’s life has not been easy, and he has often sacrificed his health for the sake of his family.

Mary Granholm, BVMI’s nurse practitioner, wasn’t expecting anything out of the ordinary when Sara came in for a routine check-up to monitor her arthritis. During the exam, Mary was surprised to see a blood pressure reading of nearly 200/100, dangerously high for someone who usually had a normal reading. 

If you met Laura Mack today, you would never know that she is emerging from the most difficult point in her life. Laura remembers her first visit to BVMI well: it was on August 4, 2014, her sister’s birthday. She knew something felt wrong, but couldn’t tell why.