"Take my breath away"

Following a 38-year career as a school counselor in Georgia, Gwen Dates celebrated a well-deserved retirement and moved to the Poinciana area in 2016. In her efforts to learn about local health care options, Gwen attended a free health fair at Poinciana Hospital. "I have asthma, so it's even more important for me to know where to go in the event of a health emergency."

In August of 2019, Gwen's concerns were realized when her asthma symptoms flared up. "I'm always concerned when I have trouble breathing. Even with a rescue inhaler, my breathing was getting worse."

Her husband took her to Poinciana Hospital's ER, where she was seen by medical staff within minutes. They performed an exam and a series of EKG, x-rays and other tests, before ruling out problems with her heart. "I was relieved when the doctor assured me it was an isolated episode of acute asthma. After a breathing treatment, I could breathe easy again and was allowed to go home — under the condition that I scheduled a follow up with my primary care doctor to reassess my current care plan and avoid future episodes."

Despite the stressful situation, Gwen is filled with nothing but gratitude. "Poinciana Hospital had done so much for me already even before my asthma scare — it's where I became acquainted with my local community and where several of my friends were treated for life-threatening medical conditions like blood clots and stroke. I'm comforted to know our community has convenient access to compassionate, high quality health care."