Linda Arroyo lives in Angwin and has been a patient at our St. Helena health center for more than 10 years. A twist of fate first brought her to our clinic — and it very well may have saved her life.
One night, Linda fell while getting out of bed in the middle of the night. She hurt herself pretty badly and was taken to see Dr. Bermudez at our St. Helena health center. During her visit, Dr. Bermudez discovered that Linda had high blood pressure and diabetes; she was also overdue for a mammogram. Linda was fearful about paying for the test, but Dr. Bermudez explained that financial assistance was available for those who need it. Linda had her test and received the call all women dread: they saw something, and she needed further testing. She had a follow-up appointment where they did a biopsy, and it was confirmed that she had breast cancer.
During her treatment, Linda was experiencing some difficulties at home. Her care team made her feel supported, and her treatments and appointments served as a refuge. Dr. Bermudez and Linda’s assigned primary care provider, Ramiro Zarate, FNP, would call to check up on her after her chemo treatments. But it wasn’t just the providers who were there for Linda. It was the entire Up Valley team. In fact, she calls our Health Center Manager, Cynthia Trevino, her “guardian angel,” because of the time and care Cynthia took explaining everything to her.
Today, Linda is cancer free and working to stay healthy for her five kids and 14 grandchildren. She credits CommuniCare+OLE and the high-quality care she received for helping her get there.
As she puts it, “I was given all the care and attention I needed to get through the tough challenges.”
