From patient to promotora
Over a decade ago, Laura received a diagnosis she dreaded. But thanks to the attentive care of her OneWorld team, her story took a turn for the positive – and led her on a path of helping others.
Laura began feeling sick in 2008. She was nursing a baby at the time, with the goal of nursing a full year, and going to the clinic wasn’t always easy. But she soon learned that getting care was an urgent matter.
When she returned to OneWorld for care in the spring of 2009, Laura and her doctor discussed three possibilities that could be causing her illness: thyroid disease, hepatitis or cancer.
“I said no, not cancer,” Laura said.* “Possibly the others, but not cancer.”
Under the care of OneWorld’s Dr. Kris Huber, Laura underwent further testing. But when the results came back, she received the diagnosis she dreaded. Her illness was, in fact, cancer.
She remembers the despair of that time. She remembers her eldest daughter at an appointment, asking Dr. Huber what possibility her mom had of surviving. And Laura remembers Dr. Huber’s compassionate, yet honest response about the multiple possibilities of her prognosis.
Fortunately, Laura’s story is one of survival. Laura says her care at OneWorld was a very good experience, as she credits Dr. Huber with ordering the right exams, making important referrals and ensuring she received cancer treatment.
“That saved my life,” she said. “That is a great achievement.”
In the years since Laura’s cancer diagnosis and treatment, she has gone on to provide support for patients herself as a promotora, or community health promoter, at OneWorld. She said she’s grown a lot in her field of work, from the time of her training in 2014 until now. Still, one of her proudest achievements was fulfilling her dream of learning English while studying at the OneWorld Learning Community Center.
Looking ahead, Laura hopes to see OneWorld continue to expand, especially through offering specialist services, and to receive more financial support for the promotora program from outside funders. She knows first-hand how important promotoras are to providing health care access to the community – the support she received from OneWorld’s care teams is something she is now able to offer herself.
Over 15 years later, Laura still remembers Dr. Huber’s empathy at the time of her diagnosis.
“That made us feel at ease and have hope that there could be something good. And here I am.”
*Laura’s interview was conducted in Spanish and translated to English.