For more than 30 years, Patricia Williams sought answers for chronic pain that began after a traumatic childbirth.

The Seattle resident went through repeated appointments, specialist visits and colonoscopies. Yet despite the time, expense and physical toll of those procedures, no one identified the underlying cause of her pain.

“It’s ruined my life,” Patricia said.

Her experience represents the central problem she sees in healthcare today: Patients are paying more, while the quality and accessibility of their care continue to decline.

“I’ve noticed over the years the care has just gotten worse and worse and worse,” she said.

After spending eight months on a waiting list Patricia finally saw a new primary care doctor who reviewed her history properly. She was eventually diagnosed with rectocele, a pelvic floor condition often associated with childbirth that had gone unidentified for decades.

For Patricia, the diagnosis brought relief but also anger. Her care had been delayed while she went through years of costly procedures and chronic pain that failed to address the actual problem.

She thinks financial considerations influence which treatments patients receive.

“I have since come to believe that they have tests that are such money makers,” Patricia said. “They only referred me to the money-making procedures, like colonoscopies. They didn’t care about patient outcomes.”

For Patricia the pattern was clear: She spent money while her pain went untreated.

Now turning 68, Patricia has spent much of her life navigating chronic illness and debilitating stress, both for herself and for people in her family.

She cared for her mother, who had multiple strokes. Her 28-year-old daughter has lived with an autoimmune disorder since she was 5 and is now being evaluated for additional health problems.

That lifetime of experience has shown Patricia that the cost of healthcare is measured in more than medical bills. It is also measured in lost time, delayed diagnoses, declining trust and the emotional strain on families.

Patricia does what she can to advocate for change. She signs petitions, writes to lawmakers and supports organizations working to make healthcare more affordable.

She said people who have not personally experienced chronic illness or unaffordable medical costs often struggle to understand how deeply the system can affect every part of a person’s life.
Still, she continues speaking out.

Patricia believes patients deserve affordable healthcare, but affordability alone is not enough. Lower costs must be accompanied by timely diagnoses, appropriate treatment and care driven by patients’ needs rather than financial incentives.

“Patient healthcare should be equal and available to all people, it should be affordable according to their income,” she said. “Our government should make it a priority to provide incentives to attract good, caring and capable doctors – not those whose only incentive is to follow directives sent down by greedy corporate billionaires to pad their portfolios. In other words, not for profit.”

Her message is simple: Healthcare should cost less, work better and put patients first.

Join Patricia – share your story with us today. We want to spotlight your advocacy.

###

---