Seeing Clearly What Matters Most
The author Henry David Thoreau once said, “Not only must we be good, but we must also be good for something.” Diana and her husband, Dave, have spent a lifetime giving back, going on several volunteer medical trips to Haiti and through the Amazon.
“I can’t begin to tell you what joy it brought my heart to help people who never even expect it,” Diana said. “It’s important for us to pay it forward locally and internationally.”
Diana and Dave’s story began at their high school in Massachusetts.
“I was walking home from a friend’s house, and Dave was playing basketball in the schoolyard,” Diana said. “I watched him play and he offered to walk me home. We were high school sweethearts.”
Once out of school, Dave joined the military; Diana became a nurse. A classic love story, the pair have now been married for over 40 years. They have two children and three grandchildren.
In 1993, Diana started noticing strange stroke-like symptoms. Her doctors had no idea what the culprit was.
“One day, I woke up and it looked like one of my eyes was dropping,” she said. “It was really frustrating.”
Her doctors diagnosed her with a rare autoimmune condition, what they believed was Graves’ disease. Diana underwent thyroid surgery and radiation but continued to experience symptoms.
“My eyes get red and watery a lot,” Diana said. “And my right eye gets kind of blurry and has double vision.”
Recently, Diana learned about thyroid eye disease, a condition often misdiagnosed as Graves’ disease. Given her history of symptoms, she called her endocrinologist to get his opinion. Her intuition was correct.
“I don’t want to be having problems with myself,” she said. “My husband has Alzheimer’s and I need to be healthy to take care of him.”
Diana was referred to The Assistance Fund’s (TAF’s) Thyroid Eye Disease Financial Assistance Program. The program provides financial assistance for out-of-pocket costs for all FDA-approved treatment for thyroid eye disease, including copays, health insurance premiums, therapy administration costs, prescribing-physician copays, treatment-related travel costs, and diagnostic lab tests. Within minutes, her application was approved.
“I’ve already seen some good signs,” she said. “My eyes aren’t so blurry anymore.”
With her vision improving, Diana can focus on her family, including seeing her grandkids. Their families still live close to her home near McKinney, Texas.
“They’re just a blessing,” Diana said. “We asked for grandchildren, and they had them a week apart! It was wonderful.”
Though the past few years have been challenging, Diana is focused on their blessings and the things she and Dave can do.
“I’ve certainly learned a great deal of patience in the last few years,” Diana said. “And I can’t even begin to thank TAF for their support.”
