Personalizing Healthcare

Erinn Walz:

We live in Colorado — myself, my husband, and then we have a daughter, Sloane. I have a cardiac condition called CPVT. A very basic explanation of it is your heart just kind of, the lower chambers, just spasm. Once your heart is in that rhythm for too long, you can go into cardiac arrest, and that can actually become fatal.

CPVT is not a diagnosis that a lot of doctors have a lot of experience caring for patients with. It is a rare genetic heart condition. The first doctor that I went to — his medical advice to me was that I should not work out, ride horses, that I should not put myself in situations where I would be stressed out — which was not very realistic.

I got different opinions over about a ten-month period of time. It was frustrating to get such conflicting medical advice, 'cause it left me in a position where I didn't know the best way for me to keep myself safe. I got a call from Krista, and she asked me if there was anything I was not happy with with my medical care, and I said, "Yes."

Krista Hughes:

When I hung up with Erinn, I didn't realize that what her and I were going to embark on was going to impact her life so much, much less other people in her family's lives. I didn't realize that other people in her family also have the same condition and had not been treated either.

Erinn Walz:

She helped me track down the proper people to call. She helped me get a referral to be able to go to Mayo, which was not something that I had even considered as an option.

Janna Benkelman:

Finally, after all these years, we have the right doctor who has given us the latest information. They switched her beta blocker. They switched my beta blocker. They're monitoring Sloane every six months so that she can have any medication that she needs, so that she's not going to have events.

Krista Hughes:

Because we primarily work telephonically, we don't really ever get the opportunity to meet our members face to face or talk to them afterwards. So, I'm actually really excited to just embrace her and enjoy that moment.

Erinn Walz:

Krista helped me understand that my healthcare provider can do more than simply pay the bill. She gave me a person that helped connect the dots. She has changed our lives for the better.

Krista Hughes:

Cases like this, they keep us motivated, knowing that we make a difference in people's lives, and sometimes a much bigger difference than we ever anticipated that a simple phone call would make.

Erinn Walz:

You changed my life. You changed my daughter's life. You changed my mother's life.