In the summer of 2017, Wanling Li was working in the fields near Odessa, helping manually harvest canola for a Washington State University research project. The job required hours of repetitive movement—squatting down to cut the plants, placing them in bags, then standing up to move to the next plot. After doing this for several hours in the heat, she began to feel lightheaded. A few moments of dizziness turned into something much more serious.
“I felt lightheaded, and then suddenly, I couldn’t move my left side,” she recalls. “It was terrifying.”
Wanling’s research teammates immediately recognized something was wrong and rushed her to the OMHC Rural Health Clinic. The clinic staff quickly realized she needed emergency care and brought her to the Odessa Memorial Healthcare Center Emergency Department. There, she was met by a calm, capable team led by longtime provider Rhonda Freeman, who has since retired.
“The staff acted so quickly—administering IVs, assessing my condition, and arranging for my continued care,” Wanling says. “What I remember most is Rhonda holding my hand, talking me through every step. She made me feel safe.”
A short time later, the feeling in her left side began to return. Wanling made a full recovery and never forgot the care and compassion she received.
“I’m so thankful that this level of care exists in such a rural place. Odessa Memorial was there for me when every second counted.”