Receiving whole person care Kenny Williams

Imagine waiting at a bus stop, experiencing a shooting pain in your neck and suddenly losing all feeling in your legs. That’s what happened to Kenny Williams who had suffered repeated head trauma over the years from being beaten and robbed, struggling to survive on the streets.

A fellow bus rider gently cradled Kenny’s head until he was picked up by EMTs. They took Kenny to multiple hospitals before they realized his complicated case could only be treated in one unique place: Adventist Health Glendale, where he would be cared for by some of the most exceptional neurosurgeons in the state. Receiving compassionate and comprehensive care at Adventist Health Glendale was beyond anything Kenny had experienced in his difficult life. From his superstar nurse to the expertise of neurosurgeon Yaser Badr, MD, and neurology specialist Lance Lee, MD, and ultimately to the Behavioral Health Program, Kenny immediately felt safe, cared for and in good hands.

Once Kenny’s physical health improved, the team from our Center for Behavioral Health and Recovery, led by Director Lazaro Mena, evaluated and tended to his mental health. Throughout Kenny’s stay in the Behavioral Health inpatient unit, Lazaro partnered with multiple community services agencies to utilize their resources to get Kenny the extra help he needed once he was released from the hospital. Now nearly fully recovered from his spinal injuries, he is continuing physical therapy and recently moved into his own apartment. Because of the comprehensive care Kenny received as well as the support from people like you, Kenny has received whole-person care.

Every day, Adventist Health Glendale offers world-class services to so many who come through our doors. Tending to Kenny’s immediate physical and mental health crisis was clear, and the full-spectrum of services available at Adventist Health Glendale were able to care for all of Kenny’s needs.

Thanks to you, we can offer a renewed sense of hope for so many!

More Stories That Inspire

Mary found hope at Adventist Health Glendale

The impact of transformational care

Patients

Fifteen years ago, Mary was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. She was successfully treated by hematology and oncology specialist Boris Bagdasarian, DO, with chemotherapy and radiation. Thanks to the expert care she received at Adventist Health Glendale’s Cancer Center her cancer went into remission. For more than twelve years she lived…

more

Michael Lehman

Healing and Helping

Patients

“Whenever we tap into loving one another, to healing and helping one another, that’s where the spirit of God is. In that sense, the whole experience to me was a miracle.”

more

Mary Borjas

Powerful in pink

Patients

Mary Borjas is the epitome of beauty and strength, and yet eight months ago when she felt a lump in her breast, fear pierced straight through her. She began an incredibly challenging pursuit to find treatment for what she feared was a bullet trying to steal her life.

more