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Interview TopicsWhen Natalie was an 18-year-old junior at Baylor University, an undiagnosed illness threatened the pursuit of her life-goals and education. Though no treatment was obtained, Natalie persisted. By 1991, when Natalie was 20, she had become a senior honor student at Baylor, a talented musician, a gifted motivational speaker and a contestant in the Miss Texas Scholarship Pageant. In a matter of weeks, however, the illness suddenly returned and began to progress, taking her on a downward spiral. Finally, in 1996, after eight years of increasing illness, a correct diagnosis was made - Late Stage Lyme Disease. By this time there was little left that resembled the eighteen year old who had begun this journey. What began with a flu, fatigue, stiffness and pain had progressed until she was confined to a wheelchair, then confined to a bed. As a senior honor student her options were unlimited, and the years ahead held great potential. Instead those years were spent housebound, bedridden, tormented physically and mentally as she also endured the loss of her cognitive skill and personality. They were years descending into a dark abyss - a descent that was medically avoidable. After years of aggressive medical treatment and rehabilitation, Natalie has regained many of her abilities. She is an effective communicator who speaks candidly about her experiences and the current social issues related to them. Natalie is an excellent guest whose articulate discussion, dramatic life-story and appearance on your broadcast will deeply impact your audience. Natalie is available for interviews on a variety of topics, some of which include: Pageant CompetitionsAs a former contestant in the Miss Texas Scholarship Pageant, Natalie provides personal insight into the realm of pageant competitions. Natalie's participation in the Miss America Scholarship Program provided her with outstanding training in music, communication and professional skills. Though the preparation could be rigorous and certain aspects required a political approach, Natalie has found this process to be not unlike that of the real world. MisdiagnosisDuring the eight-year period in which Natalie sought a correct diagnosis, she saw over 60 physicians, received over 20 misdiagnoses and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars as she sought medical attention without insurance. Lyme Disease is curable if detected early and treated adequately. Delayed diagnosis and treatment allow the disease to disseminate and cause permanent damage. Natalie's misdiagnoses cost her financially and physically. The delay allowed the disease time to advance. Inappropriate medical treatment prescribed for an incorrect diagnosis rapidly accelerated the disease progression to the point of threatened irreversible damage. Had Natalie's family ceased their medical pursuit prior to obtaining the correct diagnosis, she may not have lived, much less returned from a state of such physical and mental devastation. Unfortunately, the fate of many individuals who are ill or disabled is being entrusted to the opinion of a limited number of physicians.
Lyme DiseaseLyme Disease is termed the "New Great Imitator". Its clinical manifestations can mimic almost any other disease process. Misdiagnosis is common, and therefore millions of Americans suffer unknowingly from the debilitating disease. Approximately 240,000 Americans develop Lyme Disease each year, making it the most prevalent vector-borne disease in the US today. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only 10% of cases that meet its criteria are reported. The International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society believes newly diagnosed cases of Lyme may occur at a rate five times higher than the number of new AIDS cases. Chronic Lyme is reported in up to half of patients treated for Lyme Disease. The fiscal toll is quite high as the disease is estimated to cost society approximately $1 billion per year. The human toll, however, is inestimable. Patients suffer significant disruption of their life, emotional distress, and often, permanent physical damage. Much controversy exists over what is or is not considered to be proper diagnosis criteria, scientifically proven treatment protocols and adequate insurance coverage. Physician education and public awareness of Lyme Disease are woefully deficient in all regions of the United States.
DisabilityNatalie has experienced the physical, emotional and financial challenges of living with a disability. She intimately understands the issues related to those who are disabled and to their caretakers as well. Reflecting upon her past experience of confinement to a wheelchair, a bed and a neuropsychiatric affliction, Natalie effectively articulates from her firsthand experience the obstacles and honors, the challenges and blessings, of living with a disability.
Prolonged IllnessNatalie's disease has affected her life for over 18 years. She was housebound and confined to bed for seven years and in severe dementia three of those years. When she finally began to experience improvement, it arrived in microscopic increments over a period of many years...and is continuing in the same manner. She is well acquainted with the challenges of prolonged debilitating illnesses.
Obtaining Medical Treatment Without InsuranceAs Natalie sought a correct diagnosis, one misdiagnosis resulted in the cancellation of her insurance and a six-year ineligibility for other insurance coverage. During this period of time her medical treatment often cost as much as $1000 a day. Natalie's middle-income family faced seemingly insurmountable financial obstacles each day for many years in order to obtain the medical treatment necessary for her survival and eventual improvement. Often no explanation existed for the way her family accomplished this. In many instances, however, pharmaceutical assistance programs for the indigent provided hope - and medicine - for a family in desperate need of their help. Extended Physical RehabilitationAfter many years of rehabilitation, Natalie has regained a great deal of her abilities. It has been, and continues to be, a gradual, but consistent process. This process has involved the aid of over 50 medical professionals for treatment and rehabilitation as well as the consultation and/or care of over 80 physicians. Natalie can only imagine what her fate would have been had she been left in the hands of a disingenuous caretaker or a fiscally-conservative government program. The fate and lives of many disabled, disadvantaged individuals are being restricted and recalled based upon the testament of a minimal number of physicians, and limited financial funding. Terri Schiavo's life, terminated upon the purported expertise and infallibility of the reports of only three physicians, remains an unfortunate example of the importance of unlimited medical opinions and ceaseless rehabilitative efforts.
Mental / Psychiatric IllnessNeuropsychiatric illness is a prevailing manifestation of persistent Lyme Disease infection, or Neuroborreliosis. These dysfunctions are often accompanied by other neurologic symptoms as well as rheumatologic, cardiologic, ophthalmologic or dermatologic symptoms. Lyme Neuropsychiatric symptoms, though caused by an infectious agent, are similar to other psychiatric disorders and range from cognitive deficits to mood disorders. The extent of Natalie's neurologic disease allowed for great affliction in this area.
Physical ConfinementNatalie endured many years of physical confinement and can relate to those confined to a wheelchair, bed or health care institution.
Persistence of CaretakersWithout the persistence of her caretakers Natalie would not have received the health and abilities she enjoys today, and one can only fathom the horrors her years of illness would have contained. Though she was married for a time and initially received care from her husband, Natalie's gratitude for the heroic fight her parents waged on behalf of her health and quality of life cannot be measured or expressed. Natalie is concerned for the ill and disabled individuals who have experienced, (as she did), the loss of their caretaker or spouse's genuine interest in the disabled individual's welfare. In such cases, it is imperative that all decisions (medically and judicially) side on behalf of the life of the patient, regardless of whether the caretaker's motives appear to consider the patient's best interests. Natalie feels if an error is made it should be on behalf of the life and health of the patient or disabled individual. Family or friends who genuinely have the patient's welfare at heart should be able to persist in their care unhindered by attempted medical, financial or judicial restraints.
Integrative / Alternative TherapiesNatalie has experienced both the positive and negative effects of these therapies. However, integrative and nutritional therapies have ushered her into improved health and allowed FDA approved pharmaceuticals to work as intended. As scientific studies increasingly prove the merits of many integrative/nutritional therapies, Natalie believes insurance companies should consider covering their implementation. Faith and MedicineBoth faith and medicine have contributed significantly to Natalie's survival and recovery. For Natalie both have been required, and she has benefited greatly from their impact upon her life and health. Personal FaithNatalie's faith in God has been vital to her survival. It has been the sole source of her strength and positive perspective, allowing her to flourish in a time of total devastation. She welcomes every opportunity to provide others with the same hope and strength she has received from her faith.
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