Sharon Brocksmith describes her mom, 86-year-old Sally Brocksmith as, “short, spunky and gets around better than I do.”
But recently, Sharon was afraid she was going to lose her mom. That was before two Blessing Health Hannibal doctors and their staffs answered her tearful plea for the answers she had otherwise been unable to get previously.
Sharon lives about 170 miles from her mom, in Lake of the Ozarks. Sally lives in Palmyra. She is a breast and lung cancer survivor and lives with the breathing problem chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
“I’ve been going back and forth for the last five years helping to take care of her,” Sharon said.
After beating cancer several years ago, Sally’s health took a turn for the worse in April 2025. She was taken to an area hospital by ambulance twice.
“She was very lethargic. We thought we were going to lose her the second time,” Sharon recalled.
The emergency department staff told Sharon there was nothing wrong with her mother. She was "just sick with a cold” according to the staff. Sharon said that answer simply wasn't good enough.
“She came back from the hospital and was still sick,” Sharon continued. “I needed answers.”
The Search Leads to Blessing Health Hannibal
To get answers, Sharon reached out to her mom’s primary care provider, Dr. Alex Coffey, as well as her pulmonologist, Dr. Humam Farah.
Both doctors are skilled, long-time members of the Blessing Health Hannibal staff. But what moved Sharon about the doctors’ responses to her mother’s most recent need was their compassion and concern.
“I went to Dr. Coffey and I was in tears," she noted. "The nurse took me straight to his office. I was crying and said, ‘There is something wrong with my mom. They sent her home from the emergency room again. It isn’t a cold or flu. She can’t walk. She’s lethargic and I need help.’”
Sharon also reached out to Dr. Farah with her concerns. She says the doctors conferred. Tests were run and showed her mom had blood clots in both legs. Sally was put on medication to address the blood clots and is back to her spunky self.
“I’ve heard that everybody just loves Drs. Coffey and Farah. I can see why. From April through June they got so many calls and unscheduled personal visits from me,” Sharon said.
She says the staffs of both doctors’ offices (Polly Malone, LPN, of Dr. Coffey’s team in particular) grew to know her well and would make sure she was able to talk to the doctors no matter their schedules.
“Between Dr. Coffey and Dr. Farah, they put up with me calling them nearly every day, if not three times a day, or coming into their office with paperwork," Sharon said. "They are wonderful doctors and good people. I’ve never met doctors like them before.”
To see a Blessing Health Hannibal doctor who is accepting new patients, visit our website at blessinghealth.org/doctors, and select "Blessing Health Hannibal" under the "Locations" tab in the Additional Filters section of the page.