Patient Stories
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Patient Stories
August 2, 2023
Laurie Black
Life was good. At the age of 57, Laurie Black was a new grandmother and avid sports fan enjoying every bit of life.
August 2, 2023
Abby Bender Kirkland
It was May 20. The night before her annual gynecological exam. 39 year old Abby Bender Kirkland knew Dr. Vikki McKinnie, OBGYN would ask if she had performed self-breast checks over the past year.
August 2, 2023
Kyleigh Sanders
Feeling tired and worn out, Kyleigh thought nothing of it as she was in the midst of applying to colleges, volunteering and in school full time.
August 2, 2023
Nashenna Nix
It was December 2015 and 39-year old Tallahassee native Nashenna Nix was surprised when her husband, Jonathan, found a large lump in her breast. Just two days before Christmas, that lump would be diagnosed as triple negative breast cancer.
August 2, 2023
Richard Gardner
Struggling to keep weight on, Richard visited his primary care physician for preliminary testing. He found himself going through standard testing of CT scans, ultrasounds and biopsy’s, after beating cancer 26 years ago he was used to it.
August 2, 2023
Vicki Ward
As Thanksgiving was approaching, Vicki noticed abnormal vaginal bleeding. What she thought would be a routine visit turned into her immediately being referred to a gynecologist.
August 2, 2023
Jenifer Thorn
During a routine physical in June of 2015, 50-year-old Jenifer E. Thorn, PhD, a Program Director in Sports Medicine at Keiser University, wasn’t thinking about the possibility of breast cancer.
August 2, 2023
Lisa Vince
For someone who had been biopsied and had benign lumps tested and removed regularly, Lisa Vince was shocked when she felt like this time it was completely different.
August 2, 2023
David Paul
It was Thanksgiving Day when David Paul started feeling ill. His sinuses started to take over and he noticed a lump on the side of his neck. He decided to stay home and skip out on feasting and festivities.
August 2, 2023
Jody Spencer
Jody Spencer noticed an odd feeling in the back of his throat. After performing a self-exam, he noticed there was a mass on his right tonsil. The next day, Jody visited his primary care physician and was referred to get a tonsillectomy.
August 2, 2023
Claire Harrison
The fight against breast cancer has long been a passionate subject for survivor Claire Harrison and her family.
August 2, 2023
Gail McDonald
In April 2010, Gail McDonald had a routine mammogram and to her surprise, the results required additional testing. Once testing was complete, her suspicions were true; Gail was diagnosed with breast cancer.
August 2, 2023
Kelli Dillon
Elementary school teacher, Kelli Dillon, had trained and completed the November 2013 Iron Man Triathlon just three months before her annual mammogram, where it was discovered she had breast cancer.
August 2, 2023
Eric Trombley
While in law school and studying for the bar exam, Eric Trombley began to experience severe stomach pain that caused question for concern. To confirm the exact cause of his symptoms, he decided to make an appointment to visit a local clinic.
August 2, 2023
Sydrena Osborne
For much of the time that Sydrena Osborne has been a mom, she had also been engrossed in a fight against breast cancer, and young daughter Sydney was been by her side through it all.
August 2, 2023
Elizabeth Lawless
With no history of health problems, Elizabeth Lawless was completely blindsided when she began to experience severe back pain that made it unbearable to walk.
August 2, 2023
Ines Orozco
For 10 years prior to her diagnosis, Ines Orozco had annual mammograms due to multiple cysts in her breasts. With normal results, that all changed in June of 2012.
August 2, 2023
Debbi Taylor
When Debbi Taylor’s pulmonologist noticed a spot in her lungs from a CT scan, she wasn’t convinced that it was cancer just yet, but wanted to get a second look at a follow-up appointment.
August 2, 2023
Maria Romero
When Maria Romero experienced vaginal bleeding after she had been through menopause, she immediately knew something wasn’t right.
August 2, 2023
Rae and Thelma
Mothers and daughters share a special bond. A connection like none other, it can often be described with layers of strength, love and at times, complexity.
August 2, 2023
Dawn Brown
A wife and mother, Dawn Brown had lived a healthy life until everything changed in 2011. Dawn discovered a painful lump in her breast and intuition told her to get multiple tests done. Once her results came in, it was confirmed, Dawn had breast cancer.
August 2, 2023
Lucile Palmer
If it weren’t for two recent hip replacements at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH), there’s a good chance Lucile Palmer, 70, wouldn’t have danced with her son at his wedding in early October.
August 2, 2023
Kellie Kraft
It sounds something like the opening scene to a classic TV show: six friends out on an evening cruise in the Bahamas, it’s their last night of a relaxing week long vacation in paradise.
August 2, 2023
Mason Hamilton-Tilson
Routine Hearing Exam Leads to Frightening Diagnosis and Brain Surgery for Tallahassee-area Fourth Grader
August 2, 2023
Evelyn Sharpe
After two complications with internal bleeding due to blood thinners, Evelyn Sharpe could no longer take the medication intended to reduce her risk of stroke.
August 2, 2023
Larry Powell
On Mach 29, 2018, Larry Powell was out for dinner with his wife, Carol. It was a normal, enjoyable evening – nothing seemed out of order or different. All of a sudden, he knew something was not quite right.
August 2, 2023
Theresa Trainor
As a customer service and sales manager at Premier Health & Fitness Center (Premier), Theresa Trainor is always on her feet.
August 2, 2023
Addison Bethea
With grit and determination, along with the help of a multidisciplinary care team at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH), Addison Bethea, 17, is thriving as she continues to recover following a vicious shark attack over the summer.
October 12, 2023
Camilla Augustine
When Camilla Augustine was a teenager, she began to feel a slight tremor in her hands. While Camilla grew up, the tremors slowly intensified, mostly in her right hand.
August 2, 2023
Clifford Daugherty
Clifford Daugherty is Back on the Golf Course after Cardiac Arrest
August 2, 2023
Kelly Smith
Talking is something most of us take for granted. Our lips, tongue and cheeks work to form the words our brains tell us we want to say.
March 25, 2024
Jean Padgett
TMH helps Perry woman recover from ‘broken heart’ after Hurricane IdaliaHurricane Idalia will be one ...
August 2, 2023
Judy Bowers PhD
A professor of Choral Music Education at Florida State University, Judy Bowers, Ph.D. has more than a passion for music, she’s made it her life’s work.
August 2, 2023
Misty Weldy
After more than 15 years of struggling with her weight and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Misty Weldy had given up on doctors.
August 2, 2023
Catherine McCormick
Catherine McCormick is looking forward to retirement. With plans to spend more time at her beach house, travel the United States, see more sights abroad, and even cruise the Panama Canal, Catherine knew she needed to be healthy so she could enjoy herself.
August 2, 2023
Mistie Westbrook
Mistie Westbrook was a healthy young woman who never struggled with her weight growing up, but things changed before she reached the age of 20.
August 2, 2023
Chuvala Brown
Thanks to the Tallahassee Memorial Bariatric Center, patient Chuvala Brown has successfully lost 45 pounds* and is proud of the results.
August 2, 2023
Edmond Gardner
Edmond Gardner had battled with weight issues for many years. In August 2013, after fainting on several occasions, Gardner met with his doctor to address his concern and it became apparent his eating habits were part of the problem.
December 12, 2023
Brittany Burns
Stuck. Overwhelmed. Unhappy. That’s how Brittany Burns felt five years ago. She was 24 years old, a sin...
August 2, 2023
Faith Borschel
Faith Borschel of Monticello was visiting with family friends when a table she was leaning across suddenly collapsed, catching her finger in between the table edge and floor. The accident nearly severed her finger at the tip and left the normally energeti
August 2, 2023
Dick Orndorff
As a retired electrical engineer for a nationwide company, Dick Orndorff has lived in and visited the emergency centers of major metropolitan areas across the country, including cities like Milwaukee, Cleveland and Pittsburgh.
August 2, 2023
Joshua Sullivan
A happy 7-year-old boy, Joshua Sullivan and his two brothers were enjoying one last getaway with their mom, Mary Sullivan, before heading back to school for the year.
August 2, 2023
Ed Huck
Like almost everyone who comes to the emergency room, Ed and Linda Huck were scared when they were taken by EMS from a local walk-in clinic to Tallahassee Memorial’s Bixler Emergency Center. Ed was suffering from what they thought was bacterial pneumonia
August 2, 2023
Dan Bulecza
It was a sunny and cold February morning in Tallahassee when a routine motorcycle ride changed everything. Dan Bulecza was just over a mile away from his rural home as he approached an intersection.
August 2, 2023
Dakota Massey
August 4, 2015, began as a typical day for Dakota Massey. Work passed slowly as the familiar rumble of thunder marked the beginning of another summer thunderstorm. He clocked out like usual and headed home on familiar Carrabelle roads.
August 2, 2023
Bill Lemocks
When he awoke the morning of June 28, US Navy Chief Petty Officer Bill Lemocks (retired) was prepared to begin a major home improvement project.
December 12, 2023
Pam Pennington
In December 2022, Jacksonville resident Pam Pennington and her husband, Doug, were visiting Tallahassee t...
August 2, 2023
Beth Culley
Fitness instructor at Premier Health & Fitness Center isn’t just a title for Beth Culley; it means she gets to do what she loves.
August 2, 2023
Alice Amendola
When Alice Amendola, sophomore tennis star at Florida State University, suddenly found herself with chest pain, blurred vision and difficulty breathing earlier this year, she sought answers from the team at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH).
December 13, 2023
Owen Horton
Photo Credit Alicia Devine – Tallahassee DemocratMalinda Horton was out of town when she got a phone ca...
August 2, 2023
Miguel Viganoni
When Miguel Viganoni was a child, he was diagnosed with asthma – something that affects nearly 1 in 12 people in the United States. Miguel managed his asthma enough to continue playing sports, however, that changed when he collapsed during soccer tryouts.
August 2, 2023
John Fletcher
At the bottom of John Fletcher’s heart there is more than gratitude and sincerity – there is the world’s smallest pacemaker.
August 2, 2023
Paul Tschieder
The human body is remarkably resilient. For everything the human body goes through – with all of the various diseases, ailments and injuries encountered in a lifetime – it has a way of repairing itself.
August 2, 2023
Ken Morrison
Ken was planning a trip out West to Wyoming with his wife when he learned he needed heart surgery. Suddenly the trip was the furthest things from his mind.
August 2, 2023
Cassie Lewis
Cassie was born at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH) with a bicuspid aortic valve; an integral piece of her heart meant to have three leaflets had only two.
August 2, 2023
Nora Thomas
Time is fleeting. Ask any parent, grandparent or caretaker – they wish time had a pause button. For Sarah Thomas, she found herself wishing for more time with the birth of her first child, Nora.
August 2, 2023
Meet One of Our NICU Babies
Meet baby girl Blair! Baby Blair was born on December 5, 2021, at 24 weeks and 4 days.
August 2, 2023
Daniela Archila
Twenty-two-year-old Daniela Archila is many things – a student, a daughter, a sister, a friend. On November 2, 2018, she added another title to that list, one that she never could have anticipated – survivor.
August 2, 2023
Gary Hansen
You may not realize it, but your brain is always making connections. It’s home to about one billion neurons and each neuron forms 1,000 connections to other neurons, amounting to more than a trillion connections.
August 2, 2023
George Cucchi
It takes a special person to compete in triathlons. The multi-stage competitions are an extreme test of physical and mental fortitude. Even more extraordinary are those that take it even further and compete in IRONMAN triathlons.
August 2, 2023
Katherine Balog
For Katherine Balog, mom to a kid sick with the flu, slowing down wasn’t quite an option – not even when she experienced a headache one Saturday night that felt like an ice pick had gone through her brain.
August 2, 2023
Tracy Peppers
When Tracy began experiencing severe headaches, stress seemed to be the obvious explanation, even after the pain led to emergency room visits on two occasions.
August 2, 2023
Doug Wright
Despite an active lifestyle and excellent health, Doug Wright suffered a stroke one day after his routine workout, suddenly collapsing beside an elliptical machine.
