Member blessed to have “firsthand experience” of CHM members’ generosity, Shaw-Mann Hung, Elk Grove, California

God led me through this valley for a reason: to strengthen my faith.

Early one December, as I typed, I experienced a strange feeling in my left fingers. I couldn’t type as fast as before, and my fingers didn’t seem to move quite right. The symptoms were slight and didn’t seem very significant. Before long, however, my left arm and leg also began to feel strange, weaker and slightly numb.

The symptoms didn’t worsen, but they didn’t get better either. After two days of discomfort, I finally went to the hospital emergency room.

After performing a series of tests, the doctor informed me that I’d had a stroke. I was shocked! As they were running the tests, I considered a stroke might be a possibility, but I never expected it to be the official diagnosis.

For the next two days, I was hospitalized for observation. It seemed like the mobility on my left side continued to decline. I couldn’t sleep very well while I was in the hospital, and this caused me some anxiety.

After they released me, I continued to experience difficulties. It was a struggle to sleep, which wore me down mentally and physically.

Prior to this incident, I didn’t have a primary care physician. For the past 13 years, my family and I had been serving overseas as missionaries, and we had only recently come back to the States.

God led me through this valley for a reason: to strengthen my faith. Within days of being released from the hospital, I found a Christian primary care physician who worked with me to create a recovery plan. It was incredible to have a doctor who was praying for me and encouraging me through Scripture.

He prescribed sleeping pills to help get my body back on schedule. At first, they didn’t seem to work. Sensing my anxiety, he encouraged me to not let one bad day or night cause too much worry. After that—through the prayers of people around me—I was able to start doing exactly that: taking it one day at a time. When a bad day would come, I knew it was okay to sit in my chair and listen to my audio Bible or Christian music.

Slowly and surely, I’ve been getting better. My strength is coming back, and I’ve almost reached the same level of activity as before my stroke.

CHM has been a great blessing during this time. It was incredibly easy to submit bills through the Member Portal, and every time I called, I was greeted by friendly and helpful staff members.

I told my providers that I was self-pay, and sometimes this would generate an automatic discount. When it didn’t, I asked for a discount and some providers were willing to give me one. My bills were originally over $47,000, but I received over $42,000 in discounts and financial assistance! Generous CHM members shared 100 percent of the remaining eligible medical bills.

Before my stroke, I didn’t have personal experience with CHM. Now, I am blessed to have experienced firsthand the generosity of members. I’m so thankful for CHM.