John and Oma Maurer

Donors Say ‘Thanks’ for MTMC Expertise

Life-saving experiences at Mark Twain Medical Center are what inspired John and Oma Maurer of Angels Camp to become generous donors to the MTMC Foundation. “Supporting the Foundation is how we say thanks to Mark Twain Medical Center for being there when we need help,” says John, who has been a board member for several years. “We are Grateful Patients.”

Specifically, the Angels Camp couple is grateful for three life-saving experiences in the Emergency Department at MTMC. 

The first resulted from a car crash in 2004. Quick response at MTMC diagnosed John with internal injuries and he was flown by helicopter to St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Stockton for specialized treatment. Another life-saving intervention took place in 2011 when Oma suffered a 100% blockage in her right coronary artery and was taken directly by ambulance to St. Joseph’s in Stockton for immediate placement of a stent.

And then MTMC Emergency Department doctors diagnosed a neurological problem after John’s son Paul abruptly felt ill, complained of a headache and came to the emergency room on New Year’s Eve 2017. He was immediately transferred to Dignity Health Neurological Institute of Northern California where surgeons addressed a brain tumor. The fact that MTMC is part of the Dignity Health system makes it possible to send appropriate patients to specialized hospitals and services quickly.

John and Oma enjoyed many years as active retirees in the Greenhorn Creek community. Oma was a gifted painter, noted for her pastels, and John still plays the baritone horn in the Calaveras Community Band.  A retired psychiatrist, he served on the local Mental Health Advisory Board, and consulted in behavioral health programs for both Calaveras and Tuolumne County. After Oma began experiencing memory problems the couple moved into an apartment at Foothill Village Senior Living Community in April 2017. She is now being cared for very well in the Alzheimer’s unit.

John is vice president of the Residents’ Council at Foothill Village and is using that platform “to speak to and for residents when it comes to utilizing our local health care resources and supporting and usingour hospital and its clinics in every way we can.”

He adds, “Supporting the Foundation is the best for us to show gratitude for the state-of-the-art health care MTMC provides close to home. We are very lucky to have this program in our community.”

The Foundation’s Grateful Patients Program provides the opportunity for patients and their loved ones to specifically recognize medical expertise and acts of humankindness experienced at Mark Twain Medical Center.