Care Without Compromise
SLV Health
My name is Natalie Rose Marquis. I am 100% disabled and currently reside in the Baca, Crestone, Colorado. In 2010, I was diagnosed with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis, as I was living an active life, managing a hotel in Austin. I spent summers in Crestone when I was growing up, with my brothers and father who love fishing. I and my husband needed to get out of the Texas heat so we moved to Crestone, where our interest in solar energy and living off-grid have a lot of support. In 2013 we made the move. My diagnosis was accompanied by unexplained pain, and very unusual circumstances, and at the time there was no medication for the pain. Recently this diagnosis is often effectively treated with chemotherapy medicine, but back in 2010, it was not an option. For the first three years after moving to Crestone, I retained one of the practitioners from Austin via tele-med. I went from being very athletic and active, such as hiking 14’ers, to barely walking. My limited mobility makes me reliant on my husband for caregiving. He drives me to the Sand Dunes swimming pool where I can swim and do my therapy, an exercise where I can’t fall! My husband has been a faithful companion and caregiver through all of these difficult times. A true hero and partner! He has been happy to be in the Colorado mountains again.
I left a good urology team in Austin. Women who get M.S. often have urological issues such as frequent UTIs, dyssynergia, muscles not functioning when the bladder needs to be emptied, etc. When I first made appointments with the SLVH Urology Clinic, Daniel Sours, NP, had not yet joined the team. When I eventually made an appointment with him, I was not expecting such great care! He has a fresh perspective and really took an interest in my disorder. I had not received this level of personal care since moving here. My husband and I have been continually “blown away” by Daniel’s perspective and knowledge. Daniel had the insight to order another ultrasound to check the efficacy of my medicine. He found that he was able to cut it in half, saying, “Let’s try this.” Two weeks later, we were all amazed that his ideas worked for me. We have been impressed with Daniel’s “out of the box” thinking. Together we developed a care plan, that allows us to slowly re-examine and make alterations in small increments, and this has totally impressed me and helped me.
I have been actually surprised and astonished at finding this fabulous practitioner in such a rural setting. He is not only a kind person but so accessible and has shown real interest in solving my complex issues. Along the way, he told me about other situations that could develop, and he explained what to watch out for and what to do when it happens. My husband and I were frustrated that our sleep cycle had been disrupted for so long, but Daniel anticipated this and calmly said, “Let’s try a few things so you can get back to sleeping normally.” Again, he was thinking ahead and wrote a prescription for me in the patient portal. He made it so easy and just like that, it was life-changing for me. A very helpful solution from someone who seemed to have the remedy in his back pocket! Daniel is undaunted by my complex situation, so incredibly gentle and personable. My husband Richard and I actually look forward to my appointments with him, and nobody ever says they like going to a doctor’s office! His range of personality and thoughtfulness is rich, a combination of creative problem-solving skills along with his humbleness, empathy, and quiet sense of humor. I am so grateful to have become his patient and to hear a provider say, “You don’t have to compromise, we can look at other ways to fix this.” Remarkable! My gratitude for Daniel Sours, NP, is endless.