Sharon Smith, 61, of Allentown, says St. Luke’s University Health Network helps her stay on track with her health, in spite of the fact that she’s an admitted procrastinator.
Sharon Smith led a jetset life for years, flying across the country and around the world for both work and pleasure. But she put off taking the time to drive a few blocks from her Allentown home for routine medical checkups. Not until she had what she describes as “scary symptoms” that could signal heart problems, which are common in her family, did she seek care.
Now the 61-year-old retired vice president for internet tech firms–and current dogsitter–is back on track, receiving regular preventive care and routine tests from SLUHN to make sure she’s healthy enough to keep traveling during her well-earned retirement.
Her about-face came, in part, because of easy access to and a convenient appointment with her primary care doctor, Frank Matrone, DO, who had her heart tested. Though no damage was found, he sent Sharon for other tests.
“During my visit at Dr. Matrone’s office my mammogram also was scheduled for the very next day at nearby St. Luke’s Allentown, which took only 30 minutes,” Smith said. “It was great!”
A follow-up heart scan recently revealed it’s in tip-top condition, which brought her relief.
She keeps up with her exercise, walking her pups in Trexler Park several times a week, and will soon schedule a routine colonoscopy at St. Luke’s, though she might need a gentle nudge to set it up. “I’m a procrastinator,” she admitted.
With this clean bill of health, Smith is looking forward to a month-long trip to Africa in January. This will be the eighth time she’s visited the continent, and likely not her last journey there, now that seeing St. Luke’s providers is a part of her regular schedule.
“I neglected my health for years, but no longer,” she said. Meanwhile, she hopes medical science will discover a cure for procrastination.
Note: This local health news is brought to you in partnership with St. Luke’s University Health Network.
