Like many of our patients, she had recently come upon hard times. Middle-aged, divorced, and jobless for many months, she had the unglamorous privilege of sleeping on a friend's couch every night. New to this thing called social services, she didn't know much about navigating the system. "Deborah" was out of her blood pressure medicine. She was thrilled to have finally gotten a job interview, but she didn't pass the physical because of her high blood pressure. Without insurance or means to pay, she had no way of getting a prescription for the tiny pills that would lower her blood pressure and open the door for her to get a job, regain her dignity, and maybe even get a place of her own. 

Can you imagine her frustration? Without a job, she couldn't get health insurance to get her medication, but without her medication, she couldn't get a job. That's where we came in. Thanks to our caring volunteers, Deborah soon had a prescription: her ticket to new possibilities. As I escorted her to the exit, she suddenly stopped and started searching inside her purse. "Oh, I want to give you guys a donation, but I don't think I have any money." I put my hand on her arm to stop her, "Why don't you donate next time?" I asked. She looked up at me and burst into grateful tears.