Blueprint - SPRING 2023

I have been in healthcare for
33 years, and I still have a strong
desire to help people and make
their lives better wherever I can.
— Melanie Dunman, B.S.N., R.N., CDP
Nurse Case Manager • Arkansas Blue Cross
“I had never seen anyone with that diagnosis,” Dunman
said. “But it didn’t take me long to see that this was not
in his mind.”
After one particularly frustrating ER trip, Doss’ doctor
(also a conversion disorder doubter) urged him to
go back and insist that the hospital staff try harder
to find answers.
This time, an MRI scan found them – large nodules in
the cauda equina (Latin for “horsetail”) nerve bundle at
the bottom of the spinal column.
A successful spine surgery followed, to remove three
nodules. But it was not a magic cure.
The Dosses face a future that includes lasting effects
from disability. Jamie is unable to work. He has limited
use of his legs, but he has lost feeling in them, and they
can buckle unexpectedly.
In addition, she helped Doss apply for long-term disability.
Dunman, who is based in Jonesboro, connected Doss
with resources available through the Arkansas Spinal
Cord Commission and put him in touch with Disabled
Sportsmen of Arkansas. The nonprofit group helps
disabled people continue their pursuit of the outdoor life.
“I think he’s regained a lot of that sense of
independence,” Dunman said. “He is seeing now that
there is a world out there for someone who has a
disability.”
“This case reaffirms why I do what I do,” Dunman added.
“I have been in healthcare for 33 years, and I still have a
strong desire to help people and make their lives better
wherever I can.”
Doss said that aside from his wife, who he describes as
his “rock,” and support from his community, Dunman’s
help and encouragement has been one of the most
positive parts of the experience.
“You would not believe how big a help she has been,” he
said. “She calls and checks on me all the time and helps
me communicate with the doctors, and she’s always
there to lift my spirits. And Arkansas Blue Cross has
been amazing. I don’t know where I would be if I didn’t
have them for my health insurance.”
While Dunman was glad that the Dosses finally had an
accurate diagnosis, her focus turned to helping them
regain some of the quality of life they had lost.
“Jamie is a very hard worker,” Dunman said. “He is
someone who has always been active and took great
pride in his work. He also took great pleasure from
helping his friends and neighbors and doing the things
he loved. … I wanted to help him to be able to do as
much as possible.”
Doss had a standard walker and second-hand
wheelchair, but the walker was inadequate, and the
wheelchair was very heavy and difficult to maneuver.
For in-home mobility, Dunman secured forearm crutches
for more independent movement from room to room.
She also helped them get a new, light-weight wheelchair
that would be easier for Priscilla to load into and out of
their car. She also saved the couple money by procuring
the wheelchair before a new annual deductible kicked in.
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