Roger and Helen Wall

"They gave it the right name, 'Caring Hearts'"

A smile that would light up a room and a soft spoken sweet soul, that’s what you get when you meet Roger and Helen Wall of Stuart, VA.  Roger and Helen have been married for 41 years; they just celebrated their anniversary on July 2.  They have 2 sons and daughters-in-law and five grandchildren.  The Walls are members of Trinity Baptist Church of Claudville, VA and are diehard Tarheel fans despite their current zipcode, which makes them “cabbage heads” according to Mr. Wall. 

Mr. and Mrs. Wall were living in Siloam, North Carolina when the companies they worked for closed.  Roger had been employed with Proctor-Silex for 32 years and Helen worked at Quality Mills, later Cross Creek Apparel, for 24 years.  Without notice, they lost their jobs and their insurance, a story all too familiar to the staff at Caring Hearts Free Clinic of Patrick County. At that time, Mr. and Mrs. Wall moved to Stuart to begin missionary work where they assisted with Ministry of Helps.  Their only income at that time was that of supporting churches.  Mr. Wall was seeing a physician in Mt. Airy, NC for his chronic health conditions and as a result, the bills became overwhelming and unmanageable.  When they determined that without insurance and steady income they could not stay on top of their health care costs, they decided to try Caring Hearts Free Clinic of Patrick County.  When Mr. Wall came to the clinic, the volunteer physicians adjusted his medication and continued his care plan.  He was able to continue with a healthy life despite his lack of insurance.  Mr. Wall is now eligible to receive Medicare and is no longer a patient, as the clinic only sees uninsured citizens.

Helen is not yet eligible for Medicare and is still a patient of the clinic.  Mrs. Wall stated that she only comes to the clinic when she absolutely has to because she knows there are others that are in need of care as well.  Mrs. Wall also has a chronic health condition and is able to have periodic checks of her health to prevent major problems from going undetected.  When discussing her experience at the clinic she stated, “They gave it the right name ‘Caring Hearts’ ”.

With their health care under control, Mr. and Mrs. Wall were able to continue their ministry work with Blue Mountain Baptist Homes and The Craftsmen for Christ.  When their work at both of those organizations was complete, they traveled to West Virginia to help churches that needed re-establishing and currently volunteer with their church and bus ministry. 

This is another example of the valuable citizens of the County that rely on the services of Caring Hearts Free Clinic of Patrick County.  Mr. and Mrs. Wall give back to the community in return for what the community has given to them.  There are many volunteers that are not mentioned in this article that dedicate their time and skills to the clinic in many capacities and for many hours.  Without the volunteers, there would be no clinic and no success stories such as the Wall’s.  Community civic groups, businesses, or individuals that would like to contribute to the clinic monetarily or in a professional capacity should contact Susan Heath, Executive Director at 276-694-3410.  Ask about Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) credits that may result in big savings on your income tax return.