IMPACT REPORT CITIZENS MEMORIAL HEALTH CARE FOUNDATION June 1, 2025, to May 31, 2026 CMH Dialysis Center Finding hope through For nearly four years, every step became harder for Donna Barsness. She struggled to breathe, walk and even put on her shoes as swelling spread throughout her body. She visited multiple hospitals, but no one could explain why she kept getting worse. Doctors treated her for pneumonia, COPD and other conditions. Still, her health continued to decline. Then she met nephrologist Russell Davis, D.O., at Citizens Memorial Hospital. “He was the first person who realized something else was wrong,” Barsness says. “I had been telling people for years that something wasn’t right.” Dr. Davis diagnosed Barsness with kidney disease and quickly connected her with the CMH Dialysis Center. After her first dialysis treatment, she noticed a difference. “I could feel a surge of energy,” she says. “I just knew I was going to survive.” Just days earlier, she believed she was preparing for the end of her life. “The last time I came home from the hospital, I was planning my own funeral,” she says. “I was worn out physically, mentally and emotionally.” Now, more than six months later, her life looks very different. Barsness is breathing easier, walking again and enjoying time outside with her granddaughter. The swelling that once affected her entire body has decreased so much that, within two weeks of starting dialysis, she could wear her own shoes instead of the largest men’s slides she could find. —Continued on next page Donna Barsness and Sarah Matlock, RN, director of dialysis operations at the CMH Dialysis Center, share a laugh during a dialysis treatment. Barsness receives regular treatments each week at the center, which opened in late 2025.
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