Health
A DECADE OF LOVE
BY AD A MA D Y ONIZIAK, EX ECUTI VE DI R ECTOR , CHAMPI ONS FOR HEALTH
Alicia LG and her surgeon
Dr. Luke Bremner
“At first I didn’t know why I was feeling
bad,” remembers Alicia LG. “Then I
was told I would need surgery and
medication for life. After the thyroid
surgery, my situation was different.
The treatment changed my life.” Alicia
is one of many uninsured patients
who receive free specialty care
treatment, procedures and surgeries
through Project Access, a program of
Champions for Health.
46 GBSAN.COM | FEBRUARY 2020
Alicia was diagnosed in 2009 with thyroid
cancer and had to simultaneously deal
with other life issues as well: her father
died, she was raising three children, and
her husband was ill and on dialysis. She
had delayed care for herself throughout
her life until her husband’s death, leaving
her a young widow.
Alicia showing her new range
of motion without pain
For Rebecca Valenzuela, Project
Access Manager, it was a complicated
case. Rebecca worked diligently with