Our Patients Share Their Stories

Access OC is continuously changing lives by bringing people out of pain, back to work, and able to take care of their families. We are driven by the huge need that exists in Orange County as we have received over 200 patient referrals from the community clinics. With your help we will continue changing lives.

Maria

Imagine feeling so much pain that you had to stop working. That is the case with Maria Del Rosario Martinez who had noticed a lump develop in her left abdominal area. Maria works cleaning homes and her job only increased the pain and swelling forcing her to stop working. In hopes of some help Maria went to Share Our Selves Free Medical Clinic where she was seen Dr. Pereyda and notified that she needed surgery for an inguinal hernia. Maria could not afford a surgery but was relieved to learn of Access OC, who she says "guided me through the whole process and calmed my fears of having surgery." Maria was able to have her hernia repaired at the first annual Sugery Day at Kaiser Permanente in May of 2007. Today she is so satisfied with her surgery that she refers friends in need of an operation.

Santiago

A free surgery is too good to be true! That is what Santiago Loeza Rojas thought, a 38 year old resident of Garden Grove who had been feeling severe soreness in his left abdomen. Santiago works in a restaurant and his job demands that he carry heavy pots, so his pain only increased over time. He sought care at Share Our Selves Free Medical Clinic where Dr. Margarita Pereyda informed him that he had an inguinal hernia that required surgery. Santiago works full time and earns minimum wage and he explains, "I felt like I needed to wait until my problem was so severe that I had to go to the emergency room." Santiago was referred to Access OC and at first he felt that Access OC was too good to be true because he could not fathom that a free surgery program existed. In 2007 he successfully underwent surgery at the Kaiser Permanente Surgery Center and now he laughs at the fact he was so skeptical. Santiago recalls the Super Saturday Surgery event as, "a day full of great people and excellent care, learning about Access OC was like a door opening up in my life."

Lidia

For four years Lidia Rivera, a 57 year old resident of Santa Ana experienced pain on the right side of her back. The pain became so unbearable that she was not even able to move her arm. She visited her community clinic, Puente a la Salud and was diagnosed with a full tear of the supraespinatus tendon. Since the date of her diagnosis she tried to have her surgery but she could not afford it. Lidia took pain medication for four years because it was the only way she could bear the situation. She was previously employed as a nanny, but she had to leave her job because she was not able to carry the children that she cared for. On November 3, 2007 Lidia underwent arthroscopic surgery at St. Jude Outpatient Surgical Center and today she says, "The dream of being able to have my surgery has come true and I am forever grateful to Access OC."

Graciela

Graciela Morales is a single mother of two who provides for her children by babysitting but she had to stop working because of the unbearable pain of an umbilical hernia. Ten years ago while pregnant with her second child, she developed a hernia. What started out as a small pea sized ball, as she describes it, developed into a grapefruit sized hernia. She went to several doctors in the span of 10 years to address the issue, but with expensive doctor fees she was forced to pay every time. She did not have much of a choice than to live with this hernia. Coincidentally, a friend of Graciela's, Maria Del Rosario Martinez, a former Access OC patient told her about the program. Soon after Graciela visited Share Our Selves Free Medical Clinic and was referred to Access OC. Months later Dr. Hurwitz successfully operated on Graciela at Hoag Hospital. Today she expresses, "the doctor was great, he is an angel sent from heaven... I've never met a nicer doctor. Thanks to him and to your program I am healthy and able to go back to work."

Joseph

Joseph Wilson is 55 years old and loves to exercise. Two years ago, he was exercising and felt a painful lump. Immediately, he saw his doctor at Huntington Beach Community Cares Clinic who said he had an inguinal hernia and needed surgery. Being self-employed he does not have any insurance because he cannot afford the premiums. In fact, he did not qualify for individual insurance because of pre-existing conditions. He was not able to exercise for two years because of the pain. Since he received the diagnosis, he wondered how he was going to pay for the surgery before it got worst. Thanks to Access OC and the volunteers at St. Jude Medical Center, he had the hernia repaired and was able to get back to work and return to his healthy lifestyle.