About the People Who Give
Wayne Smith Funds Medical Education in Memory of Wife’s Battle
Donna Smith was diagnosed with PH in April 2000, after six months of going back and forth with doctors. She and her husband Wayne were frustrated that so many doctors lacked the knowledge to properly diagnose and treat PH, especially when it came to the new or experimental treatments that emerged in the years following Donna’s diagnosis. They found that they had to take a lead role in finding Donna the latest care. They got involved with the Fairfax, Va. PHA support group, where they were able to talk with other patients and share valuable information. Donna participated in clinical trials at the National Institutes of Health.
Wayne found that being a PH caregiver required a lot of patience. Flolan needed to be mixed and oxygen attended to. There were doctors’ appointments, medical tests and other conditions that arose secondary to Donna’s PH. Travel became difficult, and they spent three days each year driving to Florida for the winter because air travel was too difficult. Donna loved being in Florida during the years that she was sick, and after she passed away in 2006, Wayne spread her ashes along the gulf coast.
In 2007, Wayne provided funding for PHA’s Building Medical Education program in her memory. From Donna’s experience, he understood the large gap that exists in many cases between the capability of modern medicine to treat PH and the care that some doctors provide their patients.
Wayne is happy to help PHA to educate doctors about PH. He credits the organization for taking a lead role in getting the non-PH medical community interested in PH, causing the outlook for PH patients to improve dramatically. He hopes that by helping to educate the medical community about PH and how it can be treated, more patients will lead longer and more active lives.
