One year ago, Blanca Martinez was diagnosed with Thyroid cancer at a local Los Angeles hospital. She was taken back by the news but knew she had to do everything she could to fight it and get healthy.

Not having to worry about paying for healthcare and medication she receives, Blanca says she is relieved and less stressed when she comes to UMMA.

“It makes me feel better coming to UMMA because I can’t afford to pay hospital medical bills and for UMMA visits,” said Blanca.

In the days following her hospital visit, Blanca endlessly tried contacting the hospital, where she was diagnosed, to be scheduled for her surgery. After 6 months of waiting, Blanca still hadn’t received the proper care or surgery she had anticipated for so long.

Nicole Fanelli, UMMA’s nurse practitioner, followed up with Blanca repeatedly to ensure she was receiving proper treatment. After Blanca confided in her and told her she was finally on the waiting list to receive surgery but had to wait months before it would be scheduled. Nicole contacted the hospital staff repeatedly until they were able to place Blanca at the top of the list and scheduled her surgery eight days later.

“If Mrs. Fanelli didn’t intervene, I probably would still have cancer. I was insisting and calling the hospital and got nowhere. That is why I’m so grateful to Mrs. Fanelli,” said Blanca. “They removed thyroid and they found a cancerous tumor that they also removed.”

“I would like to thank the donors for the services that I’m receiv ing at UMMA. I feel protected. I have security that I’m receiving quality healthcare,” expressed Blanca. “And thanks to your contributions, we can receive quality service.”

For more information about Thyroid cancer:

The American cancer society estimates that more than 56,000 new cases of thyroid cancer will appear in 2012- resulting in nearly 2,000 deaths. Eighty percent of newly diagnosed thyroid cancer patients are under 65 years of age. To learn how to prevent it, visit:

http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/ThyroidCancer/DetailedGuide/thyroid-cancer-detection

Referred to UMMA Clinic by her mom, Farrah Rajabali, 24, has been coming to the clinic for daily checkups for almost two years.

While her parents are waiting for their medications from the clinic's dispensary, Farrah explains UMMA has helped her family a lot, financially.

“Before, I was going to a doctor, I had insurance […] and I was paying for doctor visits- it was getting costly. To come here, it’s free, so it’s helped a lot. With all that money I saved I’m able to pay for necessities like gas, my car and everything else,” said Farrah.

Farrah and her family have been utilizing UMMA's services for years. A service they find very helpful.

“[UMMA] helped me a lot financially and health wise. If there’s anything that’s wrong I can just run over here and they’re willing to help,” said Farrah.

Working as a custodian at a racetrack in 2004, Deborah Howard was hardly making enough money to cover expenses, and found herself struggling to cover the cost of health insurance- Deborah, 60, relied on UMMA in times of need and financial insecurities for more than four years.

Coming in for blood tests, mammograms, X-rays and more, Deborah said the clinic helped her with everything she needed, “they helped me all the way through until I got on my feet. So I’m on my feet now and I haven’t forgotten them...”

One thing Deborah cherished most about her experience at UMMA was the extra time her doctor took to listen and talk to her, “I do appreciate that and I’ll never forget him as a doctor,” she said.

Deborah has come a long way and feels that she is in a better place. She found a job working for the state doing custodial work and is a beneficiary of Kaiser Permanente insurance.

Although Deborah is no longer a patient at UMMA, she still brings her 16-year-old son for yearly checkups.

UMMA helps many patients like Deborah who are in need of healthcare services and rely on UMMA during financial difficulties. We are all called to serve those in need and ask everyone to help us meet urgent need for quality, affordable healthcare.