"PMG Saved My Life"

There can be benefits to participating in a clinical research trial: you’re helping to advance medicine, it often offers a care option for those without insurance, you may have access to new FDA-approved treatments, and you may receive financial reimbursement along with no-cost study-related care. But can clinical research truly save your life? While it seems to be a far-fetched statement, truthfully, it very well can.

Mrs. Fowler learned about clinical research because her husband had been a regular participant with PMG Research. Like many of us, Mrs. Fowler visited her primary care doctor on an as-needed basis. However, as her high cholesterol continued to give her trouble, she felt that clinical research would be a care option to consider.

“I had tried every cholesterol medication they had on the market. It wasn’t working so I thought, ‘what can I lose?’”

During her participation in the study, Mrs. Fowler’s lab results began to show improvement. “My cholesterol was under 200 for the first time in 20 years.”

Mrs. Fowler came in for numerous routine visits during her participation in the study. Suddenly however, her lab results came back abnormal. Staff members at PMG quickly noticed this as a red flag and immediately referred her to her primary care doctor. She was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer, and was able to begin receiving treatment for it immediately.

Mrs. Fowler’s cancer was caught early, but the likelihood of catching it had she not been in a trial is extremely slim. She had no obvious symptoms, nothing to indicate that she needed to see a doctor for anything other than her high cholesterol, and unfortunately this a common scenario for so many that do not receive regular check-ups with their primary care doctors. Participating in a clinical research study is an excellent way to monitor your health, even outside of the condition for which you’re participating. Often times labs are required that would not be performed in a typical yearly physical, sometimes uncovering rare and dangerous conditions that may have been able to slide under the radar in any other scenario.  

Mrs. Fowler’s story is incredible, yet isn’t as rare as you might think. A quick Google search will turn up countless attests to clinical research saving lives around the world.

Watch the video below to learn more about Mrs. Fowler’s amazing story.