Tavia is 59 and lives in New York City. Through the years, she has experienced what most would consider an exciting and successful career, which includes a few decades of work as a freelance editor and occasional writer. She has held positions at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Prudential Securities, and Merrill Lynch, and she dedicated over ten years to her most recent job in the main research library of The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met). Tavia considers herself a “congenital book glutton” — a problem she happily inherited from her father and grandfather.
It was in the late 90s, after attending a Pet Shop Boys concert with friends in New York City, that Tavia experienced a first-time problem with her spine. When she arrived home and began to exit her taxi, she suddenly noticed that her neck had stopped responding, and she could no longer turn her head. When attempting to move her head with her hands, she felt an excruciating pain that she had never experienced before. It was so severe that although she managed to make it inside her apartment, she could not even try to lie down in bed without screaming in agony. Fortunately, thanks to the help of a good friend, she saw a physiatrist two days later who treated the condition.
Decades of Challenges
Over the next twenty years and more, Tavia found herself having to undergo spine surgery, a total hip replacement, arthroscopic surgery on her right knee, an injection into the tendon sheath of her right thumb, ongoing mental therapy, and years of physical and pain-management therapy. “I’ve had quite a few warranties expire,” she says with a smile.
Eventually, walking became difficult, and standing long enough in the kitchen to prepare a complete meal was almost unbearable. It was in 2011, while she was employed at the Met, that she began to require the use of a wheeled walker. By 2014, Tavia found herself unable to work, and had to apply for Social Security Disability benefits. “The last time I tried to take the subway — which I’d been very accustomed to doing, even when I first started using the walker — it had become almost impossible physically,” she says.
Tavia Discovers Lighthouse Guild
It was also in 2014 that Tavia found herself in need of a new General Practitioner (GP). A friend, who was on Medicaid at the time, recommended that she reach out to Lighthouse Guild. Upon doing so, Tavia scheduled an appointment with Dr. Leonard Feingold, and she remained under his care until he retired in 2022.
Although Tavia has not experienced low vision or blindness, she has been nearsighted since childhood and wears prescription glasses. Having Type 2 Diabetes, however, puts her at risk of developing Diabetic Retinopathy. At the time, she was also overdue for an eye exam, so she made an appointment with Ophthalmologist and Chief of Low Vision Services Dr. Bruce Rosenthal, who retired in November 2023. Tavia recalls her final appointment with Dr. Rosenthal by saying, “I had my last appointment with him on what very well might have been his last day seeing patients. He walked me to [Lighthouse Guild’s new EyeCare EyeWear optical boutque], which is a fabulous upgrade, to get my first-ever pair of reading glasses. I’m still wearing the first frames that I got from Lighthouse Guild. Dr. Rosenthal is an absolutely wonderful man.” When she was not reading chart letters during her eye exams, she shared that they were talking about art and photography, which was really lovely. “It wasn’t necessarily the kind of conversation you’d expect to have in a doctor’s office, but he was so delighted when he heard that I’d worked at museums, and I left my first appointment with him beaming.”
There's been more than once when I've left an appointment with a big ol' grin on my face. If I know someone who's looking for an endocrinologist or who needs an eye exam, I will absolutely recommend Lighthouse Guild. And if I were talking to a friend who's had problems with therapy, as I have, the first thing I would tell them is that my first-ever successful therapeutic experience happened at Lighthouse Guild. That is enormous for me. And I think it speaks powerfully to the quality of the staff there."
Tavia, Client
Not long afterward, Tavia was introduced to Social Worker Jeffrey Shames, a member of the Lighthouse Guild’s Behavioral Health services. Reflecting on her therapy experience with Shames, she says, “This was my first-ever successful attempt at therapy, after so many years of trying that I’d given up. It was the first time I felt heard, not condescended to. I didn’t think it was something that would happen to me at that point in my life. It was astonishing.” As it happened, the day after Tavia found out that Feingold was retiring, she was informed that Shames was also moving on. “I felt bereft,” she says, recalling the impact of the back-to-back news.
Since Tavia was also living with diabetes, it was vital for her to be under the care of an Endocrinologist. Dr. Carmen Pal, Diabetes Specialist at Lighthouse Guild, was added to her healthcare team to assist her with monitoring and managing the disease. Describing her patient-care experience with Dr. Pal, Tavia says, “She’s very meticulous, and what I appreciate most about her is her willingness to discuss various potential directions to take. She’s incredibly open-minded and up-to-date on what’s going on with new medications and potential plans, and I always leave her office feeling well-informed.”
Lighthouse Guild is a “One-Stop Shop”
After making her first appointments, Tavia quickly realized that she could get nearly all of her medical care at Lighthouse Guild, from primary care and endocrinology to optometry, psychotherapy, podiatry, and more. “When I arrive there, I only need to walk down a hallway or take a quick elevator trip to get to the various departments and receive many different kinds of care.”
Tavia’s Current Care Team
Currently, Tavia is under the care of primary care physician, Medical Director Dr. Mary Yulmei Chang, who she describes as “Super detail-oriented with a lot of great questions. She’s very thorough and truly kind, and you get the feeling she’s always available for you.” Tavia shares that for her first appointment with Dr. Chang, “She took the time to go back and review all of the notes in my medical history, which I really appreciated.”
Tavia is also very grateful for the continuation of the behavioral-therapy services provided to her at Lighthouse Guild. Her current therapist is Social Worker Lisa Beth Miller. According to Tavia, her therapy sessions with Miller are going very well. “I feel she’s very connected to me as a client, accommodating my needs, and extremely focused. I feel seen and heard in every kind of positive way in the context of a therapeutic relationship. She’s very encouraging and made more of a multivalent connection than anyone I’ve spoken with since Jeff Shames.”
Fantastic Nurses
The nursing staff at Lighthouse Guild has also been key to Tavia’s care. When we ask her if there is anything more she would like to share, she says, “The nurses at Lighthouse Guild are absolutely fantastic. I adore them. Every nurse there who comes to take blood and do this test or that test is really warm and friendly. They put you at ease. If I look like I’m having a hard day, they’ll say something funny or kind, and it’s always a joy.”
Medical Care at Lighthouse Guild
For anyone considering going to Lighthouse Guild, Tavia says, “You’re going to have a good experience when you get there. There’s been more than once when I’ve left an appointment with a big ol’ grin on my face. If I know someone who’s looking for an endocrinologist or who needs an eye exam, I will absolutely recommend Lighthouse Guild. And if I were talking to a friend who’s had problems with therapy, as I have, the first thing I would tell them is that my first-ever successful therapeutic experience happened at Lighthouse Guild. That is enormous for me. And I think it speaks powerfully to the quality of the staff there.”
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Lighthouse Guild is dedicated to providing exceptional services that inspire people who are visually impaired to attain their goals.
