When Cari Goss was a little girl, she loved the Anheuser- Busch Clydesdales, and when she reached adulthood she was delighted to realize she could actually own Clydesdales herself. She never knew that this love would inadvertently save her life 20 years down the road. "I call them my miracle horses," says Cari. "I'm glad I had the opportunity to own them because in the end they are what led me to Barnes-Jewish Hospital."
During the fall of 2006, Cari began feeling sick. For the first month she thought she had the stomach flu. But the pain continued and worsened, stopping for a period of time before returning again full force. "That's when my friend at Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis called to see if I was ready to come get my second Clydesdale. I told him until I got healthy, I could barely work, much less travel," says Cari, who, along with her husband, Leo, owns businesses in Wyoming that require a significant amount of traveling.
Getting Connected with Barnes-Jewish Hospital
Cari's concerned friend, a resident of St. Louis, put her in touch with a friend of his in the medical field who ultimately connected her to the doctors at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Cari was in St. Louis two days later to meet with the doctors at Barnes-Jewish.
Quickly after arriving, Cari was evaluated and taken to the gastrointestinal department. The specialists were able to successfully address severe issues with one of her ovaries and her intestine. After only seven days in recovery, Cari was on her way back to Wyoming. "Everyone at Barnes-Jewish really worked together as a team to diagnose and save me," Cari says, "and it all happened so fast. All of the doctors did tests, talked with each other and figured it out."
Cari came back in 2009 for a checkup with her doctors to assess how she was healing. During that visit, Cari was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. Although that is not the news she was hoping to hear, Cari is grateful to have her disease diagnosed and her care entrusted to the doctors at Barnes-Jewish.
Ensuring Care for Future Generations
After these two exceptional experiences at the hospital, Cari knew she wanted to support her doctors that had cared for her and their research efforts into Crohn's disease. "My husband and I decided to put The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital in our trust to support Crohn's research, because that will allow us to give the largest sum of money, making the biggest difference for furthering research and potentially impacting the lives of many people," Cari says. "We will also continue to give regularly throughout our lifetime because we understand the immediate need for research."
Today, Cari is back at work. In her free time, she drives her Clydesdales cart, hunts and rides horseback.