Testimonial

“Watching your college-aged daughter put her life

on hold because of a medical condition is

heartbreaking for any parent.” 

Pamela Byrne, wife of Jack Byrne

CEO, Navigate, Inc.

Portland OR

WPO Oregon Members

“Watching your college-aged daughter put her life on hold because of a medical condition is heartbreaking for any parent.  Having her tell you she needs to take a break from college and quit her job because she is in constant pain turned our lives upside down.  Fortunately, Healthnetwork provided answers at a time when our concern and frustration had reached maximum levels.  We could not be more grateful for Healthnetwork’s intervention.

Megan was diagnosed at age 4 with a rare bone condition.  We met with specialists and were coping with the issues as they presented themselves.  When she was 12 years old, she had surgery on her arm to attach a metal plate to her bones. 

In October of 2005, Megan, who was 21 at the time and getting ready for graduation, began to experience constant, intense pain in her left forearm just below the elbow.  In May of 2006, the plate was removed.  My daughter continued to suffer from intense pain, which prevented her from continuing her education and work.  Our lives focused on finding a remedy.  We saw many orthopedic and pain management specialists and consequently received many conflicting treatment recommendations.  But none of the recommendations helped or showed promise. 

My husband had heard about terrific Healthnetwork experiences.  We knew that they could arrange access to top professionals for the most serious of medical threats.  But could they also address serious conditions with unknown or uncertain causes?  Feeling that we had exhausted all of our options, we decided to reach out to Healthnetwork.  We wanted a leading expert who knew of this rare condition and, most importantly, we hoped for someone who had actually helped patients experiencing serious pain. 

Healthnetwork quickly began researching options for us.  They kept us informed as they located specialists around the country at top institutions.  We would go anywhere to find the right physician and we were quite impressed by the experience of the multiple physicians that Healthnet located.  One physician responded to Healthnetwork’s request with a personal note indicating what steps he would take to find the right course of action based on the medical summary that he was given.  The compassion in his response and his willingness to address both the orthopedic and the pain management issues compelled us to ask for an appointment with him at the Cleveland Clinic.

The liaison at the Cleveland Clinic assisted with the transfer of an extensive set of medical records and helped secure an appointment with an outstanding orthopedic specialist, Dr. William Seitz.  With great hope, we made arrangements to fly to Cleveland from Portland, Oregon.   

After meeting Dr. Seitz, both my daughter and I felt we were in good hands.  Dr. Seitz made us feel very special - like we were his only patients.  He spent time with us, answered our questions and provided us with a clear plan to address her condition.  At a time when your frustration levels are so high, to feel this compassion from a physician you have just met is a wonderfully calming experience.  He had obviously prepared well in advance of our visit and also seemed to have a lot of wisdom behind his diagnosis.  At the end of the meeting, he also offered to find a Portland physician for us if we wanted to do the recommended surgery back in Oregon. But we knew in our hearts that we would be coming back to him for treatment.

When we came back to Cleveland for the surgery, we were quite anxious.  As I sat waiting during my daughter’s surgery, Dr. Seitz called the front desk to let me know exactly what was going on.  When the surgery went longer than expected, he called the front desk again to explain the delay.  I have never experienced such a caring physician and surgeon.  This was way beyond my expectations. 

Having traveled to at least four medical centers within the last 6 months, I knew what an exceptional job Healthnetwork and the Cleveland Clinic were doing for us.  From the medical coordinator, the liaison, the receptionists, the nurses and the physician, everyone was so professional, courteous and comforting.  We are so grateful for everything that was done for our daughter.

My daughter is recovering as expected and we remain quite hopeful that her pain will be alleviated.  We could not have imagined that this whole experience transpired from one phone call to Healthnetwork.  They have done so much more than I could have ever imagined for my family.  We could not have conducted such an effective search on our own.  WPO members need to know about Healthnetwork and should call on Healthnetwork when they have a medical need.  I cannot thank you enough.”