Meadville Medical Center
  • Contact Us
  • Titusville Area Hospital
  • Pay My Bill
  • Services
    • Find a Doctor
      • Patient & Visitors
        • Locations
          • About Us
            • Call Today Call Today
            • Email Us
            • Our Map
            • Menu
              Home
              Services
              Find a Doctor
              Patient & Visitors
              Daisy Foundation
              Locations
              About Us
              Medical Professionals
              Patient Portal
              Employee Resources
              Events
              eCards
              Blog
              Contact Us
              Privacy Policy
              Site Map
            • Audiology Center
            • Behavioral Health Services
            • Cancer Treatment
            • Cardiology
            • Dental Care
            • Dermatology
            • Drug & Alcohol Treatment
            • Ear, Nose & Throat
            • Emergency Department
            • Endocrinology
            • Family Medicine
            • Family Planning Services
            • Gastroenterology
            • Home Health
            • Hospice & Palliative Care
            • Hospitalist
            • Internal Medicine
            • Kidney & High Blood Pressure Treatment
            • Laboratory Services
            • Massage Therapy
            • Medical Assistance Transportation
            • Mind-Body Wellness Center
            • Nephrology
            • Neurology
            • Nutrition Services
            • OB/GYN
            • Occupational Therapy
            • Orthopedics
            • Pain Management
            • Physical Therapy
            • Physical Rehabilitation Inpatient Services
            • Pulmonology
            • Pulmonology Rehabilitation Services
            • Radiology
            • Resident Physicians/Medical Students
            • Respiratory Care
            • Rural Health Centers
            • Sleep Diagnostic Services
            • Speech Therapy
            • Sports Medicine
            • Surgery
            • Intensive Transitional Care at MMC
            • Intensive Transitional Care at TAH
            • Travel Medicine
            • Urgent Care Centers
            • Urology
            • Women's Health Therapy
            • Women, Infants & Children Nutrition Program
            • Vernon Women's Center
            • Workplace Health
            • Wound Clinic
            • J
            • Visitor Policy
            • Meadville Area Free Clinic
            • Physicians Accepting New Patients
            • Quality of Care
            • Patient Portal
            • Patient and Visitor Information Booklet
            • Community Health Needs Assessment
            • Request Information
            • Billing & Insurance
            • Admissions
            • Preparing for Surgery
            • Population Health Management
            • Drug & Alcohol Treatment Guide
            • Patient Relations
            • Around Town
            • Price Transparency
            • Interpreter Services
            • Send an eGreeting
            • Classes & Events
            • Mill Run Community Pharmacy
            • Titusville Area Hospital Outpatient Physical Therapy
            • Titusville Area Hospital Outpatient Lab
            • Meadville Medical Center Outpatient Lab
            • Titusville Express Care
            • Tionesta Health Center
            • Vernon Express Care
            • Yolanda G. Barco Oncology Institute
            • Oil City Lab
            • Saegertown Medical Associates
            • Outpatient Diagnostic Imaging
            • Meadville Community Health Center Family Medicine Residency Clinic
            • COVID-19 & Flu Evaluation Center
            • Oil Valley Internal Medicine
            • Valley Dental Center
            • Titusville Area Hospital Cardiac Rehabilitation
            • Oil Valley Internal Medicine Associates
            • Conneaut Valley Health Center
            • Oak Street Pediatrics
            • TAH Physician Clinics
            • Otolaryngology (ENT) Clinic
            • Poplar Street Medical Arts
            • Titusville Area Hospital
            • Meadville Pain Management
            • One Vernon Place
            • Hospice of Crawford County
            • Mind Body Wellness Center
            • MMC Foundation
            • Liberty Street Facility
            • Meadville Dermatology and Skin Surgery Institute
            • Meadville Community Health Center
            • Grove Street Facility
            • Cambridge Springs Health Center
            • Conneaut Lake Health Center
            • Alden Street Facility
            • Visitor Code of Conduct
            • Why MMC?
            • Mission & Vision
            • MMC Foundation
            • Pandemic Youth Response Initiative
            • Faces Behind YOUR MMC
            • About Us
            • Mission & Vision
            • Our Leadership
            • Our Promise
            • Contact Us
            • Ways to Give
            • Annual Fund
            • Selective Giving
            • Honor Roll of Contributors
            • Community Fundraisers
            • Planned Giving
            • For Advisors
            • Washington News
            • Case of the Week
            • Private Letter Ruling
            • Article of the Month
            • Deduction Calculator
            • Contact Us
            • Stories
            • Community Champions
            • Physician Philanthropist
            • Past Physician Philanthropists
            • Community Voices
            • Faces of Health
            • Who Are They?
            • Monthly Features
            • 2013 Faces of Health
            • 2014 Faces of Health
            • 2015 Faces of Health
            • 2016 Faces of Health
            • 2017 Faces of Health
            • Campaigns
            • Children's Health Network
            • Foundation Endowment
            • Past Campaigns
            • Events
            • Golf Outing
            • Community Fundraisers and Donations
            • Photos
            • Donate
            • Golf Outing
            • Awards
            • Administration
            • Board of Directors
            • MMC Auxiliary
            • Careers
            • Physician Opportunities
            • Volunteers
            • News
            • Contact Us
            814.333.5000
            Search Close
            About Us MMC Foundation Faces of Health Monthly Features
            pharmacy

            Faces of Health

            • Who Are They?
            • Monthly Features
            • 2013 Faces of Health
            • 2014 Faces of Health
            • 2015 Faces of Health
            • 2016 Faces of Health
            • 2017 Faces of Health

            June Faces of Health Representative: Vera Lobdell

            "Life Happens"

            At the age of 13, Vera lost her father to suicide, a subject that is rarely discussed and continues to hold great stigma even forty years later. “I would cringe when anyone would ask me how he died,” she said. “I was stricken with embarrassment and regret.”

            “On a sunny day in October of 1977,” she recalled, “my father was standing on the back porch with his back to me. I felt in my gut that something wasn’t right and I wanted to say ‘I love you,’ but I couldn’t form the words. Later that evening, search helicopters found my hero, who had lost all hope. As a child, I would not allow myself to think about my father’s death. It was important to me that my remaining memories of him be good, living memories.”

            While facing a divorce years later, Vera worked through the hurt and pain of her past. “I learned that I was not responsible for my father’s death and I could not control everything,” Vera said with confidence. “Blessed with two beautiful children, I had to step up to the plate for them. I also realized that it is impossible to rationalize an irrational mind.”

            Everyone faces tragedy in their lives, but Vera has had more than her fair share of heartache. She lived through the death of her father, a devastating fire that destroyed the family home, the end of her twenty-two year marriage, the loss of her mother and sister to cancer as well as the news that she had breast cancer. Instead of becoming withdrawn, she chose to stand strong. “Since my cancer diagnosis, I don’t take anything for granted,” Vera said.

            Vera teaches kindergarten-age children and impresses upon them the importance of not becoming a victim. “Everyone is capable of achieving great things,” Vera remarked with a smile. If they are taught coping skills this early in life, it will help them to become independent adults, and that is what I want for them. We will all feel despair in some regard, but we have to learn to be bold and have the strength to continue. Life is precious.”

            Vera has turned her years of despair into a positive venture called “Life Happens.” She has launched a website and designed T-shirts that are sold to benefit suicide prevention. “I really struggled to tell my story, but it needed to be told, out of respect for my father,” she said. “He was a wonderful father and a great provider. Sadly, suicide is on the rise and shatters too many lives. I want to reach out to others and help relieve their anguish. We have to stop considering the subject of suicide as taboo.”

            Survivors of Suicide, a local support group that is sponsored by the Crawford County Suicide Task Force, was founded 18 months ago. Vera and David Kerr, facilitators for the group, welcome new members. Meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Lew Davies Community Center. If you need someone that will listen and lend an understanding ear, email Vera at lobdell.v@gmail.com.

            We are proud to introduce our June Faces of Health Representative, Vera Lobdell.

            What Are You Looking For?

            • Pay My Bills

            • Donate

            • Request Information

            • Medical Professionals

            • Careers

            • Patient Portal

            Helpful Links

            • About Us
            • Careers
            • Notice of Privacy
            • Employee Resources
            • Find a Doctor
            • Locations
            • Medical Professionals
            • Patients & Visitors
            • Patient Portal
            • Pay My Bill
            • Privacy Policy
            • Non-Discrimination Notice
            • Site Map
            • Titusville Area Hospital
            • Volunteer
            Address: 751 Liberty St., Meadville, PA 16335
            View Map [+]


            Phone: MMCHS - 814.333.5000
            Titusville - 814.827.1851
            Meadville Medical Center
            Meadville Medical Center © 2017 All Rights Reserved.
            Powered by Scorpion Healthcare