A TEAM WHO DIDN'T GIVE UP

Stephen “Earl” Brown was living in a quiet crisis. A few years ago, his diabetes spiraled out of control. He’d been hesitant to start insulin therapy—concerned about the cost, overwhelmed by unfamiliar terminology, and quietly afraid of what it meant to admit he needed that level of care.

“I had an episode of hypoglycemia—low blood sugar—and I didn’t know what was happening,” he said. “That scared me into looking for help.” That search led him to the CHRISTUS Point of Light Clinic, just five minutes from his home in Dickinson, Texas. He didn’t have insurance. He didn’t have a clear plan. But he found something even more powerful: a team who didn’t give up on him.

He remembers that first visit well. “They didn’t treat me like a number. They didn’t rush me out the door. They sat down and explained everything—what my glucose levels meant, what insulin could do, and how we could afford it.” A staff member helped him access Lantus insulin through the prescription assistance program. “The other kinds were too expensive. This one saved my life.”

Before Point of Light, his days were long and low. He felt sluggish, unmotivated, and increasingly depressed. He didn’t have the energy to do much more than get by. “I wasn’t myself,” he said. “And I didn’t realize how bad it had gotten until I started feeling better.”

Within weeks of starting treatment, his energy returned. His blood sugar stabilized. The fog of depression began to lift. “They gave me my life back,” he said simply. “I could laugh again. I could move again.”

One of the things that meant the most to him was the immediacy of care. “Test results came back the same day. I didn’t have to wait weeks like other places. That makes a big difference when you’re worried about your health.” And the clinic’s proximity—just minutes from his house—meant getting care was always convenient.

Today, Stephen is on a regular schedule. He follows up every six months, and his diabetes and depression are well controlled. He credits the staff at Point of Light—especially the ones who took time to explain, listen, and guide him through options he didn’t even know existed.

When asked what he would say to someone considering support for the clinic, he doesn’t hesitate: “I’d tell them this place keeps people alive. We don’t all have options. This is ours.”

And if Point of Light weren’t there? “I don’t know where I’d be. I don’t want to think about it.”

Asked to sum up the clinic’s impact in a few words: “Hope. Dignity. A second chance.”