With hearts full of gratitude, we celebrate the remarkable service of Dr. Sherry Brooks, who retired after 15 years of faithful leadership as Grace Medical Home’s Adult Medical Director.
From the moment she joined Grace, Dr. Brooks became more than a physician—she became a tireless advocate, mentor, and champion for our patients. Guided by compassion, rooted in faith, and driven by excellence, she helped shape Grace into Central Florida’s trusted medical home for those without insurance.
Thank you to everyone who joined us and the Central Florida Black Nurses Association, Inc. in Eatonville this month for our Community Health Talk! And a special thanks to the Winter Park Health Foundation for making this event possible.
For a long time, Mabel faced her health battles alone. Struggling with kidney problems, high blood pressure, and diabetes, she lived each day with uncertainty. Without regular care, her condition worsened. She eventually lost vision in her left eye and found herself relying on emergency room visits at HCA Florida Lake Monroe Hospital just to get by.
When Nathan Webb first heard about the Orlando Heart of the City Fellows Program, he didn’t think it was for him. A recent graduate from UNC Chapel Hill with a passion for public health, Nathan was looking for more than just a job—he was searching for purpose.
"I didn’t think there was an intersection between my faith and my education,” Nathan shared. “I thought I had to choose one or the other.”
Please join us in welcoming Mary Helen O’Connor, PhD, as the Philanthropy Manager at Grace Medical Home. Mary Helen O'Connor, PhD, was a teacher and researcher with a focus on uplifting marginalized and vulnerable communities, particularly those affected by forced migration at Georgia State University for 20 years. Her work in Clarkston, Georgia – known as "the most diverse square mile in America" – led her to a career supporting individuals facing significant disparities in education, income, health, and housing.
On April 24, Grace Medical Home marked a significant milestone—15 years of transforming the health and lives of the uninsured in Central Florida. Hosted under a welcoming tent at Grace, Let’s Celebrate Grace brought together board members, donors, volunteers, patients, and community supporters for an evening filled with joy, gratitude, and inspiration.
Ellie is no stranger to Grace Medical Home. In fact, her recent decision to donate to Grace after winning a school competition is rooted in a deep and personal connection that began years ago.
Ellie has always known about Grace Medical Home. Her mom, Scarlett Stewart Broughton, was the first director of development. From a young age, Ellie was surrounded by the mission and message of Grace, a place where compassionate care and the love of Christ come together to serve those in need. Her connection to Grace goes back to fourth grade, when she organized a popsicle stand and donated the proceeds to Grace. That same year, she also led the morning devotion at the clinic, demonstrating her heart for service even then.
Dr. Neha Doshi never imagined that volunteering at Grace Medical Home would become more than just an extension of her career—it would become a bridge between generations.
After 20 years in medical practice, Neha felt a calling to give back in a new way. “I grew up volunteering and realized I needed to go back to my roots,” she reflects. Finding Grace Medical Home was like coming full circle. Every Thursday, she traded the familiar rush of private practice for the quiet, unwavering mission of Grace—serving those who might otherwise go unseen. “Doctors get to help people every day, but at Grace, I am really making a difference—I feel it in my soul.”
One morning, as Dulce’s mother, Monica, watched her daughter wake up, she noticed something alarming—Dulce’s eyes were unexpectedly crossed, and she was complaining of double vision and a painful sensitivity to light.
“This was concerning for us,” said Monica, her voice tinged with worry. “We recalled that about two weeks ago, she experienced vomiting every morning for a week. We rushed her to the hospital, praying they could help.”
At 16 years old, Nayeli Diaz was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer. Nayeli went from being a normal teenager who enjoyed activities with her friends to a teenager with metastatic cancer, embarrassed to step outside with a colostomy bag. After some difficult months of fighting off the metastatic cancer with treatment and trips in and out of the children’s hospital, an obstruction sent her to the emergency room and resulted in the removal of the largest and only tumor left in her body.
At Grace Medical Home, we understand the profound impact mental health has on overall well-being. Our mission is to continuously support and empower our patients, especially the youngest ones, through innovative and compassionate care. Among our various initiatives, we are particularly proud of our art classes designed to nurture creativity, self-expression, and emotional resilience in our pediatric patients.
In June, we held a series of enriching art classes aimed at fostering emotional awareness and coping skills. These sessions provided a safe and encouraging space for children to explore their feelings and express themselves through different artistic techniques.
Lorenza Rodriguez had suffered with trigeminal neuralgia for over 20 years. Trigeminal Neuralgia is a severely painful condition of the facial nerve which spreads across the cheeks, jaw, lips, and nose. It causes electrical shock type of pain with talking, eating, or brushing your teeth; even the wind or AC blowing on your face is painful. It can be so bad that there are reported suicides due to this excruciatingly painful condition.
Inside the walls of Grace Medical Home, it’s a given that you will always get top-notch medical care by some of the best providers in the area. This means they will address all your health needs thoroughly—from reviewing your medical history, explaining lab results in depth, setting up specialist appointments, and even scheduling in-house mental health counseling. But that’s only ONE kind of care you’ll find at Grace.
Carlene first came to Grace Medical Home in 2011 for regular checkups due to severe bronchitis triggered by allergies and lower back pain. During a routine checkup, her primary care provider, Michelle Cornell, APRN, discussed Carlene’s elevated blood sugar, A1c and weight gain. Her elevated A1c and weight gain placed her in the prediabetic stage. Michelle provided a list of resources to help reduce Carlene’s diabetic risk.
My name is Joselyn and I am a Medical Assistant here at Grace Medical Home.
I first became part of the Grace family as a pediatric patient. At the age of 16, I was admitted to the hospital and required an immediate blood transfusion. After being hospitalized for two weeks, they finally sent me home, but I had to follow up with a physician. At the time, I did not qualify for any insurance.
“They helped me so much when I needed it most.” Georgette Pinango held back tears when explaining how ill she was when she first became a Grace Medical Home patient several years ago. “I was really ill. I needed a lot of imaging, sonograms, my kidneys were failing. And I did not have insurance. Just one of the tests was a couple thousand dollars. I don’t know what I would have done without Grace,” she said.
