Do It for Damon
September 8, 2025
Categories: General, News, Patient story
We can all look back on our lives and remember moments that changed the path we thought our lives were on. Sometimes those moments occurred after we made a big decision, but sometimes those moments happen when others make choices that change our lives forever.
On January 19, 2021 our 13 year old son, Damon, made the decision to end his life. That moment and many moments in the following days, weeks, and months truly changed the trajectory of my life. In those first few days, I...
Mason’s Story: How 340B Helped a Young Boy Thrive
August 28, 2025
Categories: Patient story
When Mason Helmerichs was just 18 months old, his family’s world changed. He was diagnosed with Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EOE), a chronic condition that causes inflammation in the esophagus. For Mason, this meant food getting stuck, vomiting, and poor weight gain. Food allergies cause this. His parents worked tirelessly to discover which foods triggered his condition, but the process was long and difficult—each answer only came through food trials and biopsies...
Confidence Through Care: One Mom’s Journey with Pelvic Floor Therapy at CHCS
July 31, 2025
Categories: Patient story
When Jackson Heights preschool teacher and first-time mom Randee Holaday found out she was pregnant, she had no idea how transformative the journey would be—not just emotionally, but physically, too.
Living in Holton with her husband Garrett, Randee’s pregnancy came with the typical excitement—and some unexpected discomfort. She began to experience persistent hip and lower back pain, especially while working with her young students at Jackson Heights. But a conversation...
The Power of Occupational Therapy
April 28, 2025
Categories: Patient story
April is National Occupational Therapy Month
Donna Gilliland believes in the power of occupational therapy (OT). After receiving OT services for 8 months post a difficult and eight (8) hour C-spine operation, she has regained strength in her arms and legs, making her day-to-day tasks possible once again.
Gilliland underwent the neuro surgical procedure in September 2024 to repair vertebrae that were compressing her spinal cord. Due to the spinal...
Rural Development: An Impact that Saves Lives
November 18, 2024
Categories: Patient story
By Jessica Bowser, Content Management Analyst, Rural Development - Daughter of a CHCS Patient
On April 10, 2024, I received a call from my dad asking me to come help him at our family farm there had been an accident. The front axle of my dad’s tractor had broken in half, and he had jumped off the tractor before it tipped over. When I arrived at the farm, my dad couldn’t walk. I called a local ambulance to transport him to a trauma center in Topeka, Kan., for evaluation of...
Breathing Easier after Pulmonary Rehab
October 10, 2024
Categories: Patient story
Roger Adams can breathe easier after his pulmonary rehab visits at Community HealthCare System.
In February 2024, Adams was diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), a disease that causes swelling and irritation in your lungs. In April of 2024, after numerous bouts with difficulty in breathing and enduring several trips to the Emergency Room, he was referred to pulmonary rehab by Sheila Talley, PA, Dr. Marcus Weiser and his cardiologist who suggested the program...
Set a good example by getting your colonoscopy
March 16, 2023
Categories: News, Patient story
Wade Talley, Centralia K-12 principal, is pictured here with his beautiful family. He recently took his provider's advice and had a colonoscopy to screen for colorectal cancer. Wade agreed to share his experience. Here's what he said.
"I'm 46. Dr. Weiser said I should do it. I had a clean bill from the screening."
"We've had teachers here who have been directly affected by [colon cancer]. For me, it wasn't about me, but I have kids and a...
Colonoscopy 'nothing to be afraid of'
March 1, 2023
Categories: Patient story
Olivia Hoffman is only 19 years old, but she’s already had a colonoscopy. Screening for colorectal cancer doesn’t usually begin until age 45, but because an older sister experienced some health problems and a colonoscopy revealed multiple polyps, the rest of the family was advised to get checked out.
Olivia and other family members came to Community HealthCare System in Onaga. Olivia said her colonoscopy was easier than she thought it was going to be.
“Everyone...
Get around to your mammogram
October 3, 2022
Categories: Community health news, Patient story
Hallie Beardsley was 42. She was a busy single mom to her two kids, and although she knew she needed to get a mammogram, she says she just “hadn’t gotten around to it.”
She’s glad she finally made the time, because the mammogram revealed a large mass that proved to be a rare type of breast cancer. Beardsley said she “completely lost it and thought it was a death sentence,” but her CHCS provider, Physician Assistant Jeremy Brandt, and...
Physical therapy helps Bob Avery push for progress
March 14, 2022
Categories: Patient story
If you visit the Onaga Rehabilitation and Fitness Center on weekdays during the lunch hour, you’re likely to see Bob Avery hard at work on the weight machines. He travels to the Fitness Center several times a week from his home near Olsburg to do strengthening exercises, and he sees a physical therapist once a week. He’s come a long way since a harrowing accident nearly five years ago left him with a partial spinal cord injury.
Avery, a lifelong rancher who...
