Connie & Curtis Mathews
In 2005, Curtis Mathews started a new job that didn’t include medical benefits for himself or his wife, Connie. “Curtis is a welder and fabricator, always has been,” says Connie, a Nashville native who has worked as a server at Sylvan Park restaurant for several years. Wondering what they would do for health care, Connie saw an ad on TV for Bridges to Care, and decided to sign up. She chose Faith Family off the list of providers and made appointments for physicals for both herself and Curtis.
“Curtis doesn’t like doctors, but he liked Dr. Henderson right away,” says Conie. From the first visit, Dr. Henderson began helping Curtis, a diabetic, get on track with managing his blood sugars and diet. Connie met with Traci Warner, one of our Family Nurse Practitioners, whio has been her caregiver ever since. “She’s my doctor and my friend, too,” says Connie. “That’s how we feel about the people at the clinic; they are like family to us.”
The Mathews’ ties to Faith Family became even stronger after a serious illness struck Curtis last winter. In February, Curtis was working outside in the the cold and later began coughing and experiencing chest pain. “We thought it was the flu,” says Connie. They made an appointment to see Dr. Henderson, who determined that Curtis had pneumonia and sent him to the emergency room at Baptist Hospital. Connie remembers that Dr. Henderson called ahead and had people waiting for them in the parking lot to help them inside. “Curtis was really sick,” she explains. “Within 30 minutes they told us his kidneys had shut down and they weren’t sure he was going to be OK.”
Connie endured a week of not knowing whether Curtis would recover. “There were a lot of prayers,” she recalls. “Everybody at Faith Family was praying for us.” She remembers with gratitude the way Dr. Henderson and Traci stayed in frequent touch, calling or visiting regularly while Curtis was in intensive care. After being admitted to the hospital on February 20th, Curtis was finally released on march 26th.
Since his hospital experience, Curtis and Connie are more vigilant than ever at managing his diabetes, monitoring his blood sugar daily and making sure he is eating well. “It doesn’t matter that I don’t have insurance, I’ve got Faith Family,” she says. Dr. Henderson is the best doctor I’ve ever met and Curtis feels the same way.”