Tammy Stevens remembers well the first night she timidly walked into Shepherd’s Hand Free Clinic more than 12 years ago.

“I was kind of scared and embarrassed, and due to my own shyness I stood there not knowing where to go,” she recalled.

Her hesitation dissipated within seconds as clinic volunteers greeted her and put her at ease. “They made me feel so comfortable,” she added.

Stevens, of Columbia Falls, has continued to use Shepherd’s Hand through the years and these days she relies on the clinic’s wellness program to keep her exercise regimen on track.

Like many of its patients, Stevens arrived at the free clinic’s door at a low point in her life. Her husband had been disabled in a car accident in 2001, and because he could no longer work she was left without medical insurance.

Stevens then injured her back on the job with School District 6 while working with a wheelchair-bound patient and could no longer work.

Three years ago she thought she was experiencing acid reflux. Initially her doctor at the clinic thought that’s what it was, too, but he reconsidered her symptoms and advised her to get a stress test for her heart. As it turned out, she had a 90 percent blockage in her hear. She underwent surgery to have five stents put in.

When her doctor told her she needed to enroll in a wellness program in Kalispell, she simply didn’t have the gas money to get there and back. Around the same time, Shepherd’s Hand Clinic was ramping up its wellness program.

“It was God’s timing,” Stevens said.

She followed the clinic’s wellness program faithfully, taking classes, keeping journals and making sure she was eating healthy foods. As a result she has lost 70 pounds over the past several years.

“The class encouragement is so good,” she said. “I definitely credit Shepherd’s Hand with my life today.”

Stevens has even taken a leadership role with the clinic’s wellness program, filling in to lead an exercise class or help with other tasks if they’re short-handed.

Walking 45 minutes each day is part of Stevens’ fitness regimen.

She continues to use the free clinic for her health needs, but she’s largely attending now for wellness.

Clinic Executive Director Meg Erickson said Stevens’ story parallels the clinic’s own growth through the years.

“The wellness program came about because we recognized people were using [the clinic] for their health care,” Erickson said. “That became a driving force for wellness. We’re a place of hope. Now we’re letting people know we believe things can be different.”

And Stevens has an ulterior motive in staying healthy.

“My No. 10 grandchild is on the way and I want to watch those grandbabies grow up,” she said.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.