SAM'S STORY

The first time Sam came to Mission of Mercy in Phoenix, Arizona he was frail, weak and barely able to speak, just weeks post-op from emergency open heart surgery. After a heart attack on the job, Sam had been unable to return to his occupation as a construction site welder, had lost his job and his home and was forced to move in with his sister.

Sam, although in his mid-30s, lives with a chronic heart condition, a rare blood disorder and is one of the many individuals that insurance companies deem to be "uninsurable."

Despite his struggles, losses and close brush with death, his eyes still sparkle brightly and a smile fills his face when he visits the Mission of Mercy clinic. Gone is the thin, pale ghost of a man and in its place is a healthy, robust countenance and infectious smile. Mission of Mercy is now Sam's permanent medical home and he says he"couldn't be happier."