Shirley, age 69, didn’t ever imagine herself needing a motorized wheelchair. She has helped others her whole life: as a medical technologist, as one of the first women in Mobile to become a paramedic, and as part of the Loxley volunteer firefighting team.
But years of helping others took a toll on her body. When she was just 45 years old, she suffered a back injury that has caused her constant pain ever since. In the last few years, Shirley has had other medical difficulties, and is unable to use her right arm or her left leg. She did her best with a walker and relied on her siblings to take care of her. “I was financially unable to take care of myself,” she told us. “The cost of my medications was eating me alive.”
That’s when Shirley found Mercy LIFE of Alabama: a Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) funded by Medicaid and Medicare that allows older adults like Shirley continue to live independently. Because of Mercy LIFE, Shirley was able to get a motorized wheelchair, an apartment in an assisted living home, and a place to go for all her health care needs.
Throughout her life, Shirley has given back to her community again and again, and her body has paid a toll for it. Now, she is finally able to be taken care of herself: she gets the medical treatment, the care, and the respect that she deserves. “I don’t see what future I would have had if I didn’t have Mercy LIFE and Medicaid. It’s more than a blessing – it’s a miracle.”
Special thanks to Mercy LIFE for their partnership.