Sharing Hope – A Story from a NeighborHealth Family
Your support helps improve the health and lives of thousands of Wake County families struggling to access affordable healthcare. This year, your support matters more than ever.
Recently, one of our NeighborHealth families shared with us their compelling personal journey to the United States and to NeighborHealth from the Middle East. Stories like this family’s challenging yet beautiful journey remind us of the critical importance of the work we do here every day.
This resilient Christian family came to North Carolina after a long and arduous journey in the Middle East. Years ago, they welcomed twin babies to the world, but were told their daughter was blind and deaf and suffered from multiple disabilities. Doctors assured the family she’d never see or hear – and after multiple long-term hospitalizations, her medical team had given up hope. Fortunately, the young girl’s parents held steady in their faith that God would care for their child and family against all odds. After moving to Oman from Egypt, she survived yet another lengthy hospitalization and began to recover and even made strides in developing her hearing and vision.
With gratitude for the miracle God provided, the family began evangelizing their faith and established a small underground Christian church in their basement—which was prohibited by law. When the church grew quickly, word got out and their home was raided—and when local authorities found more than 400 Bibles, the father was arrested, interrogated and threatened before he was ultimately extradited to Egypt. Calling on God for help, the man’s church network came through and shared that missionaries in North Carolina would host his family, and they fled to the U.S. on his active visa.
After settling in Raleigh, the family was thrilled to find NeighborHealth as a place of respite and of loving care for his children. Both the son and daughter established life-changing care with our pediatrician, Dr. Penelope Bliss. The NeighborHealth team helped them navigate the complex U.S. healthcare system, applying for government healthcare programs and getting his daughter the referrals and financial assistance needed for specialty care and services to address her multiple disabilities. Their son also sees the NHC behavioral health team, who is helping ensure he gets the diagnosis and treatment needed for ADHD and autism spectrum disorder.
The father says their family is healthier than ever thanks to the care NeighborHealth is providing. “We were given 14 days to leave our home, friends and family—it was an incredibly stressful time. It was such a blessing for my family to find this clinic where we can afford the care my children need. I never expected to be welcomed to North Carolina with the love and care we’re receiving from NeighborHealth Center. We are so grateful for all the support and wonderful care they provide.”
This is the mission of NeighborHealth Center—serving Christ by loving our neighbors through the delivery of excellent, compassionate and accessible healthcare. Each and every day, our patients are struggling with circumstances most of us can’t imagine.
The impact NeighborHealth has on our community can’t be underestimated. Our work supports the health of individuals and families—while keeping patients healthy and out of our community’s overcrowded emergency departments.
This year, we have experienced immense growth in our uninsured and under-insured patient population—all while the unwinding of the federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) has left tens of thousands of North Carolinians without access to healthcare. Our unreimbursed care will surpass $2 million this year—and every dollar raised helps offset these growing costs. We need your help this year more than ever.
As you consider your year-end giving, please know that your generous donation can change lives and ensure NeighborHealth can meet the growing healthcare needs of our community. To make a gift, please visit neighborhealthcenter.org/donate. We are incredibly grateful for your support and generosity!
With gratitude,
Daniel Lipparelli
Chief Executive Officer
