I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis in 2011. I spent the next seven years in and out of doctors' offices and hospital beds when suddenly, at the end of 2016, my UC took a turn for the worse. I spent a total of 4 months in Beaumont Royal Oak throughout 2017. Never staying less than 3 days at a time, in some cases up to 3 weeks. I was given fluids, steroids, and sent home time and time again; only to come back days, or weeks later with the same symptoms.
I begged my GI doctor for months to start a different course of treatment. I spent most of my free time researching different diets, biologicals, etc., and after months of getting nowhere with the steroids, my GI agreed to put me on Remicade.
Mary Garoufalis quite literally walked into my life and home and from there, my fight with UC changed. What I was hoping would be a quick bounce back was met with even more frustration. I was never properly loaded with the correct amount/dose of Remicade and for the first four months, I was constantly slipping right back into a flare days after each infusion.
Mary went above and beyond to consult and communicate with my GI about starting over and "reloading" me. When he argued that my disease "wasn't that bad", Mary stepped up. She helped me seek alternative options to get me into remission. I feared that maybe I had been misdiagnosed. Mary was convinced that, with the proper dosing, I could achieve remission, but we couldn't get there with my current GI and the roadblocks. I was severely ill, and sick and tired of being sick and tired. I decided to seek treatment and care at the Mayo Clinic.
Mary spent time with me sorting through my seemingly endless medical records to pull pertinent information to give to my new doctors at Mayo. Mary gave me a referral to another GI doctor within the University of Michigan Health Systems that she had worked with through another patient and helped me transfer my care to her after my return from Mayo.
Mary has been my biggest advocate throughout the last year. With her help and guidance, I was able to get in with U of M, reload and increase my dose of Remicade, and I am proud to say that as of three months ago, I am in clinical remission. She has been my nurse for over a year now and I can't help but get teary-eyed when I think about all that she has done for me. She went above and beyond for me and I am forever grateful to have her as my nurse.
Mary deserves to be recognized for her professionalism, knowledge, kindness, compassion, and level of care. Without her, I can only imagine how sick I would still be. She is an extraordinary human, nurse, and patient advocate. Beaumont Home Infusion services are lucky to have a woman and nurse of her caliber on their staff.