Patient counts staff as family

Gidget Nance wanted to show her appreciation to the doctors and staff at the DMH Lung Center, so she requested a group photo and to tell the story of her 27-year relationship with DMH.

“These people are like family to me,” says Gidget, who was born at DMH in 1960—two months premature with severely underdeveloped lungs.

“I’ve had asthma and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) since birth, but the doctors and staff at the Lung Center have kept me alive since I first came to them for help in 1979,” she says.

“They are so caring and give me one-on-one attention,” says Gidget, whose condition and medication is evaluated every three months at the Lung Center. “The amount of comfort and support they’ve shown me over the years is overwhelming.”

Gidget was first diagnosed at age 18 when Pulmonologist Michael Zia, MD, admitted her to the hospital for tests. She now sees Drs. Cohen, Tan, Arnold and Verma for ongoing treatments.

To control her symptoms, Gidget takes several medications and breathing treatments plus uses an oxygen tank for the most of each day. With her condition, she can expect to be admitted to DMH a few times each year with bronchitis or pneumonia.

“Even a minor cold means a fourto seven-day hospital stay for me,” says Gidget, who also battles diabetes and hypothyroidism.

“Everyone at DMH has been good to me,” she says. “They’ve seen me through a lot of tough times and they’ve always been supportive,” says Gidget.

“Lung Center physicians and staff work very hard to give our patients the best care possible,” says DMH Pulmonologist Carol Cohen, MD. “It is nice to recognized and appreciated.”

Gidget and husband, Patrick, have three children and two grandchildren.

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