Fun Photos for GiveBIG

If you follow our Facebook pages or Twitter, you probably noticed the theme on Wednesday: GiveBIG. It was an effort between marketing and development to promote a day of giving as part of the Seattle Foundation's GiveBIG event. We took in $3500 and the Seattle Foundation will also match a portion of this total, so we did well!

As part of that promotion, we had a fun photo shoot with some happy Bastyr Center patients, who all had glowing, wonderful things to say about the care they've received from our faculty and students. As a member of the marketing team, I don't have a lot of direct contact with clinic patients, so it was another good reminder of why we're here.

Here are a few shots of Wayne, Margi, Georgia Rae, Anne and Lorrin - some serious poses, some a little more fun, along with some of their thoughts on the care at Bastyr Center. My favorite? The shot of Wayne walking his poodle, Jasper.

"The students and faculty at Bastyr Center changed my life. Through their care, I have learned to effectively overcome both fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. It has been a long path to wellness, but having a partner alongside you can make all the difference. I found that partnership in the team of care providers at Bastyr Center." - Lorrin

"If your doctor says you can’t dance anymore, don’t put away your dancing shoes until you go to Bastyr! Twenty years ago, I was misdiagnosed with lupus. I was miserable. On my very first visit to Bastyr Center, it was determined that it was instead Epstein Barr Virus, which is treatable. Two weeks after that first appointment I felt like someone had given me back the last 10 years of my life." - Margi

"My care team checks in with me as a person and asks me about my life — it isn't just about the chart and the symptoms. The sliding payment scale is a major help on my income. Providers don't treat me any differently because I pay less, like they do at other clinics. It really feels like a higher standard of care." - Georgia Rae

"Bastyr Center for Natural Health has become my home away from home for the past year. Three years ago, I began suffering from the excruciating pain of plantar fasciitis severe heel spurs in both feet. At that time I was told I would always have pain and trouble, and I did. I was scared that I would never be able to walk without severe pain. Today, I am more active than I thought possible, enjoying walking my dog several times a day." - Anne

"Thanks to the students and faculty at Bastyr Center for Natural Health, my poodle, Jasper, and I go on great walks, exploring this beautiful city together. Three years ago, while cleaning my garage, I suffered a back injury that left my mobility severely limited. I was in chronic pain, and needed immediate relief that I could not seem to find. A friend referred me to Bastyr and now, I can happily say that I am pain-free." - Wayne