Within the halls of the Neurology Institute of San Antonio, it reflects more the essence of a spa-like experience rather than a doctor's office. Many windows allow for natural sunlight to filter the rooms, complemented by the warmth of hard wood floors throughout.
Dr. Suzanne Gazda is a voice for patients suffering from multiple sclerosis, and it is an area in which she has spent many years devoted to.
MS is a disease that predominantly affects people in the prime of their life from early 20s to late 40s, she explains. It's also a disease that affects mostly women. "I was really drawn to it. You can feel and understand the impact of this disease. There is such a fear of the unknown having MS," she says.
With all the new therapies available today, she and her team are equipped with the knowledge and hope for a brighter future. "We've made a lot of progress," says Gazda. However, although they've made innovative strides to help a patient live with the disease, Gazda explains there is still no answer to tell us where MS and other diseases like it come from.
"The key that unlocks that theory is still a mystery," she admits.
The Multiple Sclerosis Center of South Texas, a 501c3 non-profit organization, housed with the Neurology Institute of San Antonio, provides services to patients, educating the public about the disease through monthly seminars, as well as offering rehabilitation, fighting depression, and learning to live a better quality of life.
The non-profit invites patients to participate in programs such as free massage therapy, yoga, and offers a library and resource center for patient use. The center directly interacts with both the local and national MS Society.
Janet Kaufman is the executive director of the non-profit program. Recently, the organization hosted its first fundraising event, the Namgis Premiere in Hondo, where they raised $20,000 to donate to the MS Center.
"We are proud to be the site for comprehensive care in South Texas. It is an honor to have Dr. Gazda serve as the medical director of the board," Kaufman says. "We are working collaboratively with her on our numerous projects to help those newly diagnosed manage their disease. The MS Center is dedicated to providing individuals and families living with MS the opportunity to receive comprehensive care, education, therapy, and support to achieve their highest level of wellness."
A Medical Mission
The Neurology Institute of San Antonio assists patients who are suffering with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, headaches, nerve pain, and back pain, as well as other neurological disorders.
In addition to an emphasis on MS, Gazda spends a great deal of time and research on Alzheimer's disease. As she reflects over the 20 years she's studied and practiced medicine, Gazda has witnessed a growing number of the population become victims to these kinds of life-debilitating illnesses.
"The incidence of these diseases is becoming epidemic in numbers," she says. "We've got to find a treatment fast. We have got to do more. We have to keep trying."
From the most potent outcry of patients struggling to understand the whys, Gazda focuses on what can be done to help a patient live with the disease and still attain the best quality of life possible. That may be what led her to advocate her patients toward a lifestyle that is mind-body-spirit connected which is part of an entire wellness center than incorporates yoga, weight control, and nutritional support.
"I'm so inspired by our patient's courage, motivation, and ideas," she says.
The doctor shares an inspiring story about a patient who was paralyzed from her neck down. With a great deal of emotional support and aggressive rehabilitation, she was able to walk again over the course of a year-and-a-half. "It doesn't happen often," admits the doctor. "But she worked very hard to get there, and it's a moment I'll never forget."
While Gazda admits they rarely "cure" anyone, helping patients live with a chronic disease is their ultimate goal.
Gazda stepped into the brand new state-of-the-art Neurology Institute of San Antonio at 1604 and Paesanos Parkway last August. Her inspiration culminated in years of preparation, planning and hard work. "We wanted it to be unlike any other medical facility in the city," she says.
Within the halls of the Neurology Institute of San Antonio, it reflects more the essence of a spa-like experience rather than a doctor's office. Many windows allow for natural sunlight to filter the rooms, complemented by the warmth of hard wood floors throughout.
A picturesque view of the soaring hills across the Texas Hill Country bestows a calming sensation. "You like to work in an environment where you feel comfortable," expresses Gazda. "The patients who come to see us are most often very scared and feel compromised, but now they are part of a warm environment and caring family."
A busy neurological clinic, it is home to three neurologists: Gazda, Dr. R. Braden Neiman and Dr. E. Swann Van Delden, as well as neuropsychologist Dr. Gilbert Martinez, and roughly 25 employees. "The people we've found and chosen to work here are the spirit and beauty of our office. These are people who take the time to address concerns," she emphasizes.
Within the corridors of a highly specialized arena of doctors and medical professionals is the site to a slew of specialty areas including a Neurological Rehabilitation and Wellness Center, Neurological Psychology office, MS non-profit center, Integra Clinical Research which does more pharmaceutical MS trials than any other privately funded MS clinic in the country, Gazda says and an Infusion area and MRI Scanner.
The Circle of Life
In the clinic, there is a great emphasis on outreach. From breast cancer awareness projects, MS activity, to humanitarian outreach, Gazda and her team are front and center. On any given Sunday, you can find Gazda or one of her team volunteering with Under the Bridge Ministry, where they donate clothing to a homeless shelter downtown.
Or Gazda can be on another missionary project in Africa with her two daughters, Sarah and Katie. "We visited Uganda last March," she says. "It changed me forever. You begin to wonder why we don't look outside of our own boundaries when you see the faces of so many going through pain and suffering."
Almost one year ago, her youngest daughter, Katie, began her own non-profit organization called EPIC, Empowering People for International Causes. It has become a personal mission for Gazda and her daughters.
Gazda and her daughters are building a school in Africa for children and a factory for women to make clothing at honest wages to help stimulate the economy. It was in the impoverished land of Kampala, Uganda where the doctor decided to adopt a 7-year-old girl named Jovia. "It's strange how you can feel so connected to people you hardly know in another country," she says.
The gift of one person to share with another human being care and compassion defines the core of Gazda's mission. For the doctor and her team of associates, The Neurology Institute of San Antonio provides a medium in which they can help enrich their patients' lives with a chance to garner more hope and happiness for the future.
