The Benefits of Being an EO Member
Mark Sanna
I thought running a business was hard, but nothing compares to family health issues. The last year and a half had been a troubling health saga for my mother. She was diagnosed with lupus and prescribed medications with horrible side effects: osteoporosis, bone fractures and so on. We didn’t understand what was happening as her health deteriorated, so we continued to search for answers by visiting several local doctors. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the kind of answers we needed. We were at wit’s end.
As a member of EO, I’ve heard about the amazing benefits the organization has to offer. I am involved in Forum, sure, but I never really leveraged any of the other membership perks. Remembering something a friend had told me about the far-reaching value of the Healthnetwork Foundation, I decided to give it a shot. What harm could it do? After all, we were getting nowhere with our local doctors.
Anxious for some good news, I called the Foundation and was immediately connected with Whitney, a medical coordinator. I informed Whitney of my situation and we discussed the best options for my mother. At first, I wanted my mother to visit the nearest hospital, but Whitney pointed out that my mother was dealing with an undiagnosed problem that could require a team of specialists. She suggested that my mother might benefit from the unique diagnostic approach at Mayo Clinic Florida in Jacksonville, Florida, USA, a hospital with a stellar reputation.
As I came to find out, Mayo Clinic Florida specializes in diagnosing hard-to-solve medical problems. In one week’s time, a Healthnetwork professional scheduled my mother to be seen by numerous physicians. I could not believe the level of coordination and collaboration involved, and the progress that was made in only one week! That was more than any previous physician accomplished in a year. Thanks to the Foundation’s dedication and commitment to my mother’s well-being, she was able to get the best health help possible.
As it turns out, my mother does not have lupus; she has a very manageable autoimmune disorder. Healthnetwork and the treating physicians at Mayo Clinic Florida were able to give my mother hope after a year of frustration, inconvenience and worry. That type of assistance and information is priceless, and it’s all thanks to EO’s commitment to ensuring members and their families are healthy and happy. Talk about a membership perk!
